


Fire Emblem:  Night of Lore

by Blade_Squall



Series: Fire Emblem:  Nights of Orobia [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, كتاب ألف ليلة وليلة | Kitaab 'alf layla wa-layla | One Thousand and One Nights
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe - Arabian Nights Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fire Emblem Fusion, Canon Fire Emblem Characters are Cameos, Chibi, Chibi Violence, Comedy, Djinni & Genies, Dragon Hybrids, Dragons, Gen, Half-Genies, Harems, Hi-Fives, I'm Sorry, Love Triangles, Manaketes, Multi, Noodle Incidents, Pirates, Please Don't Hate Me, Princes & Princesses, Princess-on-Pirate Violence, Romani Character, Slapstick, Worldbuilding, really sorry, semi-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-05-07 00:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 53,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14659794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blade_Squall/pseuds/Blade_Squall
Summary: A semi-canon codex companion piece of Fire Emblem:  Night of Tales.In case you are curious about the history, species, classes, or other things that occur in Fire Emblem:  Nights of Tales or other stories in the series, this handy guide will help navigate you through all of the bizarre scenarios you will see and/or hear about in Orobia.  Of course, it's humorously presented by chibi versions of the cast, since they can't be in Fire Emblem Heroes, ever!It seemed like a good idea at the time.





	1. The Orobian Timeline, Part 1

## “The Orobian Timeline, Part 1”

A chibified Tawni appeared in a puff of blue smoke.  “Hi, readers of _Fire Emblem:  Night of Tales!”_ Tawni beamed, waving at you looking at the screen.  “Welcome to the fourth wall breaking lore series called, well, _Night of Lore!”_

“Seriously?” a chibi Janiya asked while she walked in.  “The author of this universe couldn’t think of a better name for this spin-off series?”

“Well, it’s short, sweet, and to the point,” a chibi Sulaiman said, walking in as well with Howe, the latter taking a drink of a bottle of ale.

“You guys need to have better entrances,” Tawni pouted to the other three.  “But there’s so few options to call the unofficial official codex of the _Fire Emblem:  Nights of Orobia_ lore.”

“Unofficial and official?” Howe questioned, setting down his drink.

“Well, it’s unofficial because this is the lore of a fan-fiction setting,” Sulaiman explained.  “And it’s official at the same time because this is the closest thing to a codex written by the author.”

“Also, this is the first time the four of us are all in the same room,” Janiya shrugged.  “So, how do we start this thing?”

“Well, there’s no wrong way to do a lore series,” Tawni reasoned.  “But to start this off… how about some history?”

“Wait,” Howe interrupted.  “Why the hell are we even doing this?  Surely the history and lore of Orobia, Giuss, Argelia, Xuhua, and anything else will be covered in the main story.  There’s no reason to even HAVE a second fanfic cluttering the main page, but this one being mainly lore based, as well as non-canon mini-scenes starring the really shrunken down bodies with big heads like us.”

“I believe the correct term is ‘chibi’,” Sulaiman said.  “I’ve heard a Xuhuan diplomat tell my father and brother about it.”

“...What,” Howe blinked.  “They have an actual term?  On top of hating me, they have a term for… this?  By the way, what inspired these forms of ours?”

“Well, there’s a mobile game that came out nearly a year before our adventures started,” Tawni explained.

“I owed my sister a favor,” Anna called from offscreen.  “Seeing as you all would never make it in _Heroes_ because you’re all fanfiction OCs, I needed to use your chibi versions SOMEHOW besides how they’ll be used in _Night of Tales!”_

“Damn it, Anna,” Howe groaned.  “Alright, fine, we’ll suffer through this ‘chibi’ part.  But I fail to understand why make an entire separate spin-off when, again, we plan to do a lot of lore in the main story.”

“Because, Captain,” Janiya frowned, “there are questions nobody reading this will wait for the answers for about, well… everything about Orobia.  This is an entire new universe being built from the ground up.”

“Also, the more established of a setting we have,” Tawni smirked, “the easier of a time people will have navigating it and express more interest.”

“...Alright, we’ll do this,” Howe shrugged.  “Where did we agree to start, again?”

“I was thinking history,” Tawni recalled.  She then reached in her pouch, and pulled out an astral crystal and plate, a pointer stick, and a pair of glasses.  She then put on the glasses, and put down the astral plate. Sulaiman and Janiya clapped their hands together, and cast a spell on the crystal.  Soon enough, a giant timeline manifested from the crystal. Finally, Janiya pulled out her sister’s Fire Emblem fragment, which she waved over the plate.  “We’ll start with the ancient times, and work our way up to the present.”

“Shouldn’t we actually explain these astral crystals and plates for our first lesson?” Howe questioned.

“For Howe and the people reading this,” Sulaiman summarized, “it’s pretty much using the arcane arts of magic on crystals that can conduct magic to turn them into essentially ‘batteries’ to charge small stone plates from some other world known as the astral plane.  Before anyone asks if this has anything to do with _Fates’_ astral plane, well… yes and no.  Yes, it involves small distortions in time and space compared to our ‘real world’.  But no, we don’t get a customizable castle in a pocket dimension out of it, we get images projected from potentially far distances, as well as interactable images like this timeline we’re about to go over.  Oddly, the plates are easier to find than mines for the actual crystals.”

“We’ll cover this in detail, later,” Janiya assured you reading this.  “Anyway, can we get started? When should we start?”

“How about the earliest known thing?” Tawni questioned, looking at the timeline.  Poking the timeline with her stick, she cleared her throat. “Alright, now, not that this is going to be really important, but we’ll be talking about a few eras.  The first of which is the era Before Rerci’s Imprisonment.”

“Oh, right, the Genie Dragon,” Howe said.

**Era 1:  Orobia Before Rerci (1000 BRI-20 BRI… This might take a while)**

Howe began, “So, let’s make this short, sweet, and to the point:  In ancient Orobia, humanity found themselves under the rule of the manaketes and genies.  The genies were first, but the manaketes came and showed themselves just as powerful as the djinn.  The manaketes mainly believed in your Charles Darwin approach to life, where the strong rule and weak were controlled by the strong.  Meanwhile, the genies are the ones who thought that power should be spread equally. The manaketes ruled the west and the genies ruled the east, and both tribes reasoned that if they try to avoid each other, they could prevent themselves from tearing each other apart.  Not exactly the most ideal coexistence, but it had worked. How long did this accord last, again?”

“I’d say about until 300 years Before Rerci’s Imprisonment,” Sulaiman answered, looking at the timeline, and pointing to a year labeled, “296 BRI”.  “That’s the estimated year Gargec, the Smith Dragon, born about 1,700 years before that, met Awdue, the Harvest Djinn.”

“Who was born about 1,500 years before they met,” Janiya added.  “A lovely relationship those two had, despite one being a brutish dragon and the other being a naïve djinn girl.”

“Okay, what part of ‘short, sweet, and to the point’ did you royals not get?” Howe questioned.

“Captain,” Sulaiman said, turning to an image of a giant red dragon with a large hammer over a bigger anvil, pounding away at said anvil, “these two characters are important to the context of Rerci.  They’re Her parents. Gargec was a fire manakete who channeled the draconic urge to destroy things and hold gold into a productive talent by forging materials for humans.” When the dragon’s work was complete, he turned into a much smaller humanoid wearing a long, thick red cloak but had green spiky hair, gold reptilian eyes, and a pair of thick red wings protruding out of his back.  He then presented what it was he was forging to a group of humans: a large purple and green sword that seemed to have green smoke coming off it. “Whether they were weapons, armor, tools, ships, or treasure, humanity was grateful to Him and his creations. It kept the humans loyal to Him and His tribe, and He got paid well for his craft. Much to the jealousy of His younger brother, Stratreo, who craved war.”  He then turned to someone off screen, and asked, “Idris, can I have a bottle of wine? I’m going to need it.” Pointing to himself and Janiya, he added, “By the way, we’re carriers of two of Gargec’s creations. Our dads each have other weapons of his, Witherbrand and Pillansufa.”

“Where did Gargec learn book-binding?” Janiya questioned, looking over the dark blue cover of Hova with the white twister symbols etched in.  “Also, where did he learn spell craft?”

“Elemental dragonstones can do a lot and he probably had a few friends who helped him figure it out, I suppose,” Sulaiman shrugged.

“Where are OUR sacred weapons?” Tawni questioned, pointing to her and Howe.  “Seriously, I’m waiting for mine.”

“You and Captain Howe will get yours, Miss Tawni, at the end of your personal stories,” Sulaiman assured her.

“Yay!” Tawni clapped her hands together.

“Guys, let’s not lose the audience,” Howe told them.

“Sorry,” all three other “lords” apologized.

Janiya continued as a brown-haired genie woman with enchanting green eyes and a gentle smile appeared on the astral crystal’s image, showing her surrounded by fertile farmlands, “Anyway, Awdue, although you don’t hear much about Her, was a genie with quite the green thumb.  She grew enchanting foods and made the soils of what would become eastern Orobia very fertile. Many travelers felt blessed by Her ability to create such bountiful harvests.” As if to prove Janiya’s point, Awdue in the image placed her hands on the ground, and multiple fruits and vegetables erupted.  Humans soon flocked to her, grateful. “However, due to the genies’ rather even distribution of wealth and power, there were some have nots in the genie clans. Awdue’s family was rather poor, even with this vast creation of produce. Her family got desperate enough to decide, against the will of the genie clans, to travel west into dragon lands.”

“It didn’t end very well for Awdue’s family,” Tawni sadly said.  She then noticed Sulaiman’s retainer Idris, also chibified, walk in with a bottle of wine, and several cups.  “Um, Prince Sulaiman, why did you have wine come in?”

“Because I promised myself that every time I have to talk about a backstabbing younger brother,” Sulaiman said, pouring a glass, “I’d have a small drink.  Care to join me, Miss Tawni? Princess Janiya? Captain?”

“I already have my drink,” Howe said, pulling out his ale again.  The two men clanged their cups, and drank. While Howe took a full swig, Sulaiman took a few sips before putting his glass back down.

“Sorry, but I have to talk about Stratreo again,” Sulaiman apologized.  “Born a bit after Gargec, Stratreo grew up agreeing with the typical ancient manakete mindset that the strong should rule over the weak.  The problem, of course, was that He took it to its logical conclusion that ALL non-draconic life was weak… and should be purged. He especially hated genies, and humans he thought so weak they needed to be destroyed before they grew strong enough to actually oppose draconic rule.  His brother making things for humans didn’t help His opinion of them… or His opinion of Gargec, for that matter.”

“Sounds kind of like an evil djinn I know,” Janiya noticed, thinking of Sizah.

“We’ll talk about Her later,” Sulaiman promised.  “But the infamous 296 BRI happened. Stratreo and Gargec, while on a scouting mission, happened upon a settlement near their home, one that the two smelt djinn blood, in violation of the accord.  Gargec was willing to negotiate a deal with the settlement to keep them from trying anything that would affect the manaketes, but Stratreo, eager to exert draconic dominance and kill a few genies, pounced.  It was only because of Gargec that Awdue and Her sibling survived the resulting massacre. It was at that moment Gargec knew His brother was a psychopath. Had He actually killed Stratreo here, maybe a lot of pain would have been avoided.”

“Prince Sulaiman!” Tawni frowned.

“What, nobody here wasn’t thinking it,” Sulaiman replied.

“Anyway, Gargec took pity on the genies, and welcomed them into the manakete hamlet,” Tawni said.  “It was tough for the genies, but they were alive. Eventually, the sibling left, returning to genie lands and what would become Cruibia, meeting a beastfolk person from what would be Argelia, but that’s a long story.  Meanwhile, Gargec and Awdue would grow close. Although the two had very different opinions about how to rule and guide humans, both them saw themselves as givers to humanity… and realize they weren’t so different from each other.  Awdue saw a gentle side of Gargec that made Her feel safe with his flames nearby. And Garge saw a prideful, powerful woman who could sometimes outdo His own stubbornness and strength. Add in the fact that responsibility was suddenly thrust upon them when Gargec and Awdue were given a child to care for, and well… they eventually settled down themselves, marrying in secret.”

“A child?” Howe questioned.  “Was this child Rerci?”

“No, her older cousin,” Janiya said.  “Turns out that surviving sibling of Awdue’s had a child, but due to the genie clan’s opinion on hybrids, they were forced to give up the child, smuggling said child into Awdue’s hands.”

“The hell?”

“Yeah, we haven’t identified the child, ever,” Sulaiman said.  “Poswa’s best historians are on it, but we believe the child was half-beast, half-djinn.  As a quarter-djinn myself, it kind of seems that hybrids were inevitable.”

“Yeah, moving on,” Janiya quipped.  “Anyway, Gargec and Awdue finally got married in a private ceremony, and all should have ended happily ever after once their own child was born, right?  Well… some human prophets thought otherwise.”

**Era 2:  The Era of Rerci (20 BRI-10 ARI)**

“Perhaps I should tell this,” Tawni said, pointing to approximately 20 BRI.  She then showed an image of a long, green haired young girl with pointed ears, unattached earlobes and glowing green reptilian eyes, and cute fangs wearing a green and white two-piece dress.  “The year Rerci was born was approximately the same time a group of human mystics, the first humans with magic without the use of tomes, would receive a prophecy of despair and destruction wrought upon the world by a dragon with access to great magical power, who’d destroy everything they deemed impure.  Naturally, Rerci’s parents heard about this, and realized that humans would, sooner or later, turn to their little girl. So, they spent the next 16 years trying to hide it.”

“Can I interject?” Yasmin asked, poking her chibi head in.

“Yasmin?” Sulaiman asked, holding his cup.

“Sulaiman!” the older princess beamed.  Yasmin then tackled him, spilling his cup and giggling as she did so, and hearts were floating over their heads.

“Yasmin, we’re in the middle of a thing,” Janiya said while the two were enjoying each other’s company.  “You can be lovely-dovey with your betrothed later.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m bored, and Sulaiman and I won’t be in the exact same location until Act 1!” Yasmin pouted, letting Sulaiman go while a chibi Lamia walked in and helped him up.  “Also, this is my favorite part. The creation of the Fire Emblem by Rerci’s parents.”

“I too wish to partake in this,” Lamia chimed in.

“Ah yes, the title McGuffin of the series we’re a fan fiction of, and you two religious girls worshipping it AND its original carrier,” Howe said.  “Wait, how’s carrying a shield supposed to help in this case?”

“The Fire Emblem of this world is actually an enchanted magical lamp,” Lamia said, adjusting her glasses as the image turned to a golden lamp.  “Also, even though in the worlds of Archanea, Valentia, Awakening, Warriors, and I’m thinking most likely Heroes have the Fire Emblem as a shield, it has taken on other forms in other worlds.  Heck, _Fates_ had the Fire Emblem actually be a WEAPON for once.”

“The Yato, I believe,” Yasmin said.  The image then turned to the dragon and genie duo working on the golden lamp, before presenting it to a little girl.  The girl was awed, and hugged her lamp before hugging Her parents. “Anyway, our world’s Fire Emblem was forged by Gargec and enchanted by Awdue as a gift to their daughter, to pour Her excess magic into it so she didn’t become too powerful and circumvent this dark prophecy.  I still don’t think She’d be capable of such evil, because the Rerci I’ve heard of and grown up hearing stories about was a miracle woman, granting humanity so many things.”

“It was quite nice,” Lamia agreed.  “Although, Lady Yasmin, you forget that Rerci had to, in the west, hide Her djinn origins, while in the east, mask Her manakete features.”

“It was hard, but she did it,” Sulaiman said.  “And then… Stratreo. Idris, can I have another cup?”

“You don’t need to drink, Prince Sulaiman!” Tawni said, jumping on his back.  “You have three lovely maidens right here to keep you company and sane!” Yasmin giggled, grabbing Sulaiman’s right arm.  Lamia sighed, and tried to scoot away, only for Yasmin to pull her in, and make her hug Sulaiman.

“Ladies…” Sulaiman frowned.

“Anyway,” Janiya said, showing an image of a large black and purple dragon holding Rerci in His grasp in front of manaketes, genies, and humans alike, all awed by the sight of her, while Gargec, Awdue, and a girl not much older than Rerci were held back by large manaketes, “Stratreo finally could not stomach His brother’s hiding of Rerci any longer.  He exposed her status as a hybrid to others… and the djinn race’s fear of hybrids with the manakete’s self-centered belief of mixing blood was the trigger he wanted.” It then showed the genies and manaketes charging each other, a poor, scared Rerci in the middle, curled up in a ball of fear while Awdue and the girl comforted Her and Gargec was in His large dragon mode, fiercely facing down both sides to protect His family.

“The Dragon-Genie War finally began not because genies wanted to reclaim all of Orobia for themselves nor because manaketes were done sharing Orobia,” Sulaiman said, “but because both tribes were afraid of an incredibly powerful little girl who was trying to control herself, and she didn’t choose which side of her was the side she leaned towards.  But more importantly, because Stratreo decided he wanted to cause as much death and destruction as he could. It ”

“And humanity itself was caught constantly in the crossfire,” Yasmin frowned.

“Can I be let go, girls?” Sulaiman asked.

“Embrace the harem, prince, not too many _Fire Emblem_ protagonists would be able to get away with it,” Howe quipped.  “So, when did the Orobian humans decide to blame Rerci for their suffering, kill Awdue, kidnap Rerci, and seal her away?”

“Captain!” Yasmin, Lamia, and Tawni all frowned, still hugging Sulaiman.

“Ladies, seriously, please let me go,” Sulaiman said.

“Sorry!” all three said, Tawni jumping off of Sulaiman while the other two let him go normally.

“Captain,” Sulaiman sighed, brushing himself down, “you could have handled that with a bit more tact.”

“Look, we’re seven pages in the gods damn lore on Microsoft Word,” Howe said.  “We can only fit about nineteen or twenty on deviantART at a time, can we please start summarizing?”

“Fine,” Lamia said.  Tawni pouted, but relented while the image showed Rerci with a pair of orichalcum cuffs on Her wrists and tears in Her eyes, surrounded by five cloaked figures that looked human, and Awdue dead on the floor.  The Fire Emblem itself was broken into several chunks. “While rather blunt, the pirate captain tells the truth. Five human mystics, one day, ambushed Rerci and Awdue in their hideaway. Thinking Rerci was the dragon from the prophecies, they slew Her mother, Awdue, broke the Fire Emblem in chunks, and captured Rerci, dragging Her away to a hidden location called ‘The Eternal Forge’.  They sealed Her away, bound to never leave the Eternal Forge.” Rerci was then locked away on the image.

“But the mystics forgot one thing:  papa dragons don’t like their little girls get kidnapped,” Yasmin smirked.  On the image, the mystics were then set upon by a giant dragon, albeit one without wings.  “Although He was too late, Gargec never gave up on trying to save Rerci. Of course, Rerci’s cousin disappeared, but that’s another story.”

“Where are His wings?” Howe asked.

“Stratreo,” Sulaiman sighed.  “In order to really stop His brother from coming to Rerci’s rescue in time, Stratreo cut Gargec’s wings off.  Gargec, before leaving the Eternal Forge, discovered from Rerci that the only ways to free her was with the Fire Emblem or with four legendary weapons.  And Gargec decided to forge the four weapons himself.” It was at this point that Sulaiman and Janiya pulled out their own weapons, and two more—an axe with a watery edge to it and a dagger that seemed to spark up in flames—showed up on the screen.  Tawni and Howe both looked in earnest.

“Are those…?” Tawni beamed.

“I think they are…” Howe grinned.  The two reached up, only to have their hands swatted away by Janiya and Sulaiman, respectively.

“Not until later,” Sulaiman chided.  “After destroying His brother for what Stratreo did, Gargec retreated to His workshop while the Valley of Fangs was formed in the final battle of the Dragon-Genie War.  For a thousand and one Orobian days and nights, Gargec labored. Eventually, he made Taryn, Hova, and their two pairs you two will get, later.”

“What about Pillansufa?” Howe asked.  “You know, the lightning blade used by the Cruibian king?”

Darius poked his head in, and said, “It’s actually the youngest of the known weapons.  Why are we all tiny?”

“Well, Father,” Yasmin said, “we’re chibis!”

“Okay, I’m just going to go see if there’s a way to summon a chibi version of your mother,” Darius said.  “What Orbs am I supposed to use, Anna?”

“Your wife was a swordswoman, so I’d say red Orbs!” Anna answered.

“Thanks!” Darius said before disappearing.

“…He does know Queen Minoo is never going to be in _Heroes,_ right?” Lamia asked.

“I should let him know,” Yasmin said.  Kissing Sulaiman on the cheek, she beamed, “Good luck with the rest of your history, my stalwart turtle!”  She then walked away, grabbing Lamia as she did.

“Oh thank the gods, that was short,” Janiya sighed.  “Anyway, before He could rebuild the Fire Emblem and then go to work with the weapons on the Eternal Forge, Gargec was ambushed by a young genie named Sizah, who blamed Him for the war that destroyed Her family, and ruined so many lives.  She swore vengeance, and destroyed his workshop, scattering the weapons AND the fragments. He survived the ambush, and was only able to save one or two fragments or weapons. Gargec then disappeared off the main surface of the world, only showing up from time to time, the era of dragons and genies ruling coming to an end… and the rise of humans taking control began.  But not without some serious bumps.

**Era 3:  The Aftermath of the Dragon-Genie War (11-1528 ARI)**

“Alright, short, sweet, and to the point like the captain wants,” Sulaiman said, “Rerci’s name was still a little sketchy.  There were many humans back then and even some historians today who blamed Rerci’s existence as the catalyst for the Dragon-Genie War, and thought She was evil or Her power would corrupt Her.  I won’t argue that Rerci is right to be angry at humanity if and when She gets out, but at least some people remembered that in Her brief time walking among us, Rerci performed miracles. So, a religion was formed around Her.  This didn’t sit well with a certain ifrit…”

“Sizah,” Tawni frowned, showing the Chaos Djinn’s image.  “If the stories I’ve heard are true, She became a scourge on Orobia, targeting and blaming manaketes for the war.  She began a savage reign of terror throughout Orobia. Eventually, She started going after humans who worshipped dragons and hybrids of manakete blood, even declaring Rerci Her arch enemy.”

“This is despite the fact none of us can actually find a date where Rerci and Sizah met, let alone fought,” Janiya added.  “But this was one of the few times Gargec was active. He defeated Sizah, binding her for the first time, and sent her into exile where Muazi, one of Gargec’s few djinn allies, kept an eye on Her, while He left the continent for a few centuries to go to where Argelia and Xuhua would be formed, and let the Orobian humans start building countries and nations of their own, worshipping whatever gods they pleased and doing whatever they wanted without fear of the manaketes and djinn.”

Tawni said, “It was scary for humans of Orobia… for so long, they had lived in awe and fear of the dragons and genies, they never really imagined a world where they would be the ones in charge.  But now, here it was, and the opportunity may have never presented itself again. So, they seized it, trying to build stable kingdoms. Some worked, like Rusnad being the longest-lived nation, although its leadership has constantly changed.  Others, well… they didn’t.”

“I just realized I never talked during this whole era,” Howe said.  “What’s next?”

“The Conquests of Malsum,” Sema answered, sticking her head in.

“Oh, right, I thought I was missing some notes,” Tawni smiled.  “Hi, Captain Askoy.”

“Argelian!” Janiya scowled, gripping her sword.

“Princess Janiya,” Sulaiman said, holding her back, “this chibi world is neutral territory.  You can’t kill her without invoking the wrath of the gods of _Fire Emblem Heroes._ Furthermore, even if you COULD kill her here, she’ll just respawn, and it’ll have no impact on the main story.”

“…Fine,” Janiya sighed.  “I’ll relent for now.”

“Greetings to you, Orobians, Howe,” Sema said, walking in.  “I know this is mainly you all, but I wanted to interject and add one of Argelia’s esteemed generals since HE did have an impact on your continent.”

**Era 4:  The Conquests of Malsum (1529—1635 ARI)**

“So, as our Argelian expert,” Sulaiman said, “what is this about Malsum?”

“Well, Malsum was born in what would become Argelia,” Sema began.  “A powerful earth manakete and thought to be even the direct rivals to Cydris and Gargec, the only two beings in this entire world to have actually managed to defeat him.  To put this into perspective, remember Sizah?”

“You’re talking to the girl who has to fight Sizah in her story arc,” Janiya deadpanned.

“He delivered to Her so much of a humiliating and brutal curbstomp, Sizah has NEVER returned to Argelian territory.”

“This dragon sounds awe-inspiring,” Tawni breathed.  “Why isn’t he on the front lines or considered a god?”

“Two things,” Sema answered.  “One, although he’s powerful for a manakete, he never wanted humans to worship him, and he has a love-hate relationship with the rest of our kind.  And two: well, if he was on the front lines more often, I would say Malsum would do more than enough damage to Orobia to make you surrender. The royal family seeks counsel with him, just as they do Cydris, but they let him keep to himself.  After all, he did spend around two centuries ravaging Orobia.”

The image showed a giant, bone white dragon, semi-tattered wings, gleaming golden eyes, sharp, jagged teeth, and tribal markings going down his back and even to his long tail, flying over a large city.  This was followed by him landing in said city with an ear-shattering roar, followed by inhaling and unleashing a torrent of mud to ravage the city alongside other dragons coming in to continue the rampage while humans fled in fear.

“Gods,” Tawni said, flinching away from the devastation and hiding behind Sulaiman.  “That’s terrible! And he’s one of your generals!?”

“He advises,” Sema answered.  “Luckily for me, I answer to the Emperor Consort.  He’s still kind of scary to look at when you first meet him, but he’s nice, he let me play with Princess Kadri when we were little girls, and he’s a great boss.”

“He’s also the Big Bad’s husband,” Janiya deadpanned.

“Anyway, Malsum, back then, was a more ruthless manakete,” Sema continued, ignoring Janiya’s pouts.  Showing the destroyed town, she elaborated, “Not only did Malsum conquer Argelia, but most of Orobia.  He had the Orobian humans in fear, often tearing down their great cities for over a hundred years.” Soon, though, a city was built atop of the ruins.  “Survivors started offering him sacrifices to let them live in peace.” As if on cue, Malsum was offered sheep, goats, huge mounds of fruit and vegetables, and even a bear.  The bear looked at the people, giving them a “What the hell is wrong with you” look before being eaten by the dragon. “But this didn’t sate Malsum’s conquest. Despite their numerous setbacks thanks to our Earth Dragon ruler, Orobian survivors kept rebuilding, even after his rampages.  Even when he tore them back down, they kept going.” As if to prove her point, the city was then set on fire once again, only for it to be rebuilt. “He admitted to me during one meeting that he admires old Orobia’s determination in the face of adversity like him. It certainly outlasted a LOT of his fellow manaketes.  But Malsum didn’t give up… at least, not then.”

“So the ancient Orobians fought him and won?” Howe asked.

“Back then, it wasn’t easy facing a manakete, since dragon-slaying weapons weren’t as common,” Sema nervously said.  As such, a group of soldiers tried to fight Malsum, only to be easily crushed by him shooting giant boulders at them.  “But despite the defeats, many pressed on and rebelled.”

“So they couldn’t win, conventionally,” Janiya frowned.  “What made Malsum give up?”

“He didn’t exactly give up,” Sema said.  “A common human woman named ‘Marina’ opened his eyes.”  The image showed a young human woman bound in chains staring up at the white dragon.  “When a village in what would be a part of Argelia couldn’t offer their tributes in livestock, gold, or produce, they offered Marina to the manaketes as a sacrifice because she had pleaded for peace.”  The dragon grabbed her, and whisked her away.

The crystal then showed Marina in the manakete’s village, being regularly abused.  Malsum’s large self then turned into a more human appearance, with wiry black hair, dark skin, narrow, golden eyes, pointed ears, and brown and purple cloak.  Marina got onto her knees, and begged the manakete for something.

“Despite the torture the manaketes put her through, Marina didn’t break.  She kept strong, proud, and true to her ideals. But one day, she did beg Malsum for something.  But rather than beg for her life or for her freedom… she continued to pray for peace between the dragon and humanity, and asked them to spare her village.  A village that cast her out, no less. Malsum… was moved. Although it took years to win his people over and she never left the manakete village alive, Marina did, ending Malsum’s conquest, and leaving Orobia and what would become Argelia in peace.”

“Just like how you’re going to leave US in peace and get out of here?” Janiya asked.

“I suppose I can wait until it’s Argelia’s history’s turn,” Sema said.  “Until we meet again, Orobian royals and Roma. Captain, see you in our next chapter.”  Sema then walked away.

“Bye!” Tawni beamed.  “You know, for an Argelian commander, she’s nice.”

“This is the same country who murdered our mothers, destroyed a city full of innocents, waged war on us for five years, and seeks to conquer Orobia,” Janiya said.  “All of this in cold blood.” Howe nervously stepped away from her.

“There has to be more to this war than just black and white, Princess Janiya,” Tawni said.  “Case in point, I’m a thief, you’ve got serious anger issues, Captain Howe is a pirate, and Prince Sulaiman has apparently a literal evil side because he has trouble controlling his ifrit part of him.”

 _‘She’s onto you,’_ a voice in Sulaiman’s head scowled.  Sulaiman saw a darker version of himself appear next to him.   _‘Figures the Romani girl would be the one to see me.  You should silence her before she curses us. Don’t fall for her beauty and wiles.  She’s only using you.’_

“Can I have a drink, please?” Sulaiman asked aloud.

 _‘You’ll regret ignoring me!’_ the dark Sulaiman pouted, but vanished.

Turning to Sulaiman as he finally had a drink, Tawni asked, “So, what’s next?”

“What’s next is we should take a break,” Howe said.  “That’s a lot of information condensed into eleven pages.”

“We’re already eleven pages in, and this is the abridged format?” Tawni asked.

“You’d be surprised as to how quickly background information can stack up,” Sulaiman said.  “Especially in a narrative format like this.”

“Well, fine,” Janiya said.  “I’m kind of emotionally drained after having to deal with the Argelian woman.”

“Alright,” Tawni relented, taking off her glasses.  “We’ll take a small break, and finish this up in the next part.”  Turning to the screen, she waved, “See you guys later!” She then threw down a smoke bomb, which engulfed the screen.  When the smoke cleared, all of them were gone… save for Janiya.

“…Oh, we’re supposed to leave,” the princess realized.  She then walked off, grumbling, “Damn it, Tawni, cue this better.”


	2. The Orobian Timeline, Part 2

##  **“The Orobian Timeline, Part 2”**

A cloud of smoke erupted, and Tawni, Sulaiman, Janiya, and Howe showed up on the screen.  “And that’s how my father’s smoke bombs work,” the gypsy girl finished for the princess while Sulaiman and Howe dusted the colorful powder off of themselves.

“Wow,” Janiya said, looking around.  “So, they’re not ordinary smoke bombs…”

“Not exactly,” Tawni shrugged.  “But hey, we’re back! I guess you all know what this means~”  She pulled out her glasses.

“Oh gods, we have to explain more history of Orobia!” Howe realized.  “So, out of curiosity, where DID we leave off?”

“If I recall,” Sulaiman said, pulling out his astral plate and channeling his magic, showing Malsum’s humanoid form, “I believe we left off right after Malsum decided to end his conquests and leave Orobia.”  He then showed Sema. “That was done with the help of your Argelian friend, Captain Howe.”

“Which reminds me,” Janiya said.  “When I canonically find out that you work for the Argelian Empire, my knuckles and your blood will be very acquainted with each other.”

“And I will be dragging you off him,” Sulaiman sighed.  He then stopped channeling the image, and said, “So, that leaves about 3500 years left.”

“…Let’s actually try condensing this,” Howe requested.  “So, where do we start?”

“How about the kingdom of Ugurbuh?” Tawni asked.

“The kingdom of what-now?” the pirate asked the gypsy.

“The kingdom of Ugurbuh,” Tawni said.  “And yes, readers at home, in your vehicle, in someone else’s vehicle, at school, at work, or whatever situation you’re in… it’s based off that kingdom of Agrabah you’d probably heard so much about.”

**Era 5:  The Rise and Fall of Ugurbuh (1636—3456 ARI)**

Sulaiman showed an image of a colossal continent, and said, “The map of Orobia had changed a lot since this day and age, and it would take WAY too long to actually describe it, but we’ll sum this up as best we can:  the ground work for Rusnad was by this point set in stone, ancient Cruibia was mostly wilds, Ustros and Upril were actually one kingdom, and Poswa was chaotic and unruly, being smaller territories that had yet to unite under one ruler.  Yes, the north was a very livable place back then, and the south was not very savory. Ironic that the fall of Ugurbuh, one of the largest kingdoms humanity had ever made, was what brought peace to and caused the rise of the southern nations of Orobia.”

“How is it that this happened?” Howe questioned.

“Well, with the map constantly changing because of things like Sizah’s unending quest to destroy the manakete race, wars, some manaketes like Malsum that sort of justify Sizah’s madness, and other thing,” Sulaiman said, “kingdoms rising and falling save for Rusnad was kind of common.  However, after Malsum left Orobia for good—”

“Until this war started,” Janiya chimed in.  Sulaiman shot his future sister-in-law a short stare.

“…Humans felt it safe enough to work on and build a glorious kingdom.  This led to the rise of Shahryar, the first Orobian Sultan. Through a mix of diplomacy and skilled warfare, he united, without question, the largest kingdom Orobia had ever seen before the Argelian Empire and Xuhua’s brief empire.  In fact, he’s actually credited for setting the foundation for the modern Orobian language.”

“Which for readers in whatever condition you’re in is English,” Tawni chimed in.  “…We don’t have foreign translations for _Night of Tales,_ yet, but Argelians speak in Turkish, Xuhuans speak Japanese, and we Roma speak Romanian.”

“We’ll talk languages, later,” Sulaiman, Howe, and Tawni all said.

“I hate being the only one of us who doesn’t know a second language,” Janiya frowned.  “So, Shahryar was our world’s equivalent to Marth, right?” The crystal showed chibi Marth.  “You know, the princess of Talys had some pretty good tastes in men.”

“Well, yes, but mix Hector in,” Sulaiman suggested.  At this point, chibi Hector showed up, and Marth and Hector high-fived.

“Ooh, Hector and Marth fused together,” Janiya drooled.  “Marth’s class and Hector’s strength… yum.”

“I thought you liked Payam,” a chibi Elahe frowned, floating on her carpet.

“I can have crushes on boys beyond my reach,” Janiya scowled.

“Okay, I won’t tell Payam,” Elahe said before floating away.

Sulaiman continued, “Technically, he’s the hero king of ancient Orobia and a very skilled diplomat, hence the Marth part of him.  However, Shahryar leaned more towards the axe than the sword… hence, the Hector part of him. That’s why the Ustrosi royals have a certain weapon.”  Howe raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.

“Anyway,” Tawni said, “this kingdom of Shahryar’s became ‘Ugurbuh’, and it was glorious.  For over two-thousand years, it shined on Orobia, and manaketes and genies alike admitted that humanity created something great on their own.  Treasures from all over the world were given to it. Even Gargec Himself had come to the city, and admired what humans could do. He even rewarded Shahryar’s descendant one of His fabled weapons.”

“Wait, Gargec was there, once?” Janiya asked, looking at the image on the astral plate.  Sure enough, Gargec, in his humanoid form, presented a bright blue axe to a young sultan.  “And manaketes and genies alike visited as well? Doesn’t that mean what I think it does…?”

“That Sizah showed up?” Sulaiman asked.  “Yes.” Sure enough, Sizah showed up, furious at seeing manaketes and genies coexisting.  She tried to step in, only to smack against a barrier, and her skin started smoking. “Luckily for Un Nasa, the original capital of Ugurbuh was built near a reserve of orichalcum, which was discovered at the time to be magic-resistant metal, and toxic to genies.”

“Of course, The Orders of the Templar didn’t exist at the time,” Janiya said.  “But the discovery of orichalcum kept Un Nasa safe from Sizah’s wrath for centuries.  Add in being chained up, again, and that was the last time Sizah bothered Ugurbuh. At least, until it’s fall.”

“What could have caused that?” Howe said.  “If Sizah couldn’t destroy Un Nasa because of orichalcum, why did the country fall?”

“Taryn and tectonic plates,” Sulaiman answered.

“…What?” Howe asked.

“Taryn’s oldest known wielder, the First crowned Sultana of Poswa,” Sulaiman explained, showing a purple-haired young swordswoman who was pissed facing off against a blue-haired man brandishing an axe, “had challenged the Last Sultan of Ugurbuh, to a duel to the death.  It was because the Ugurbuh Sultan, Shabaan, had kidnapped Sultana Anbara Poswa-Gerges’ best friend and female lover, Salma.”

“Wait, Gerges?” Howe asked.  “Isn’t that the last name of your female retainer?  Also, Anbara was…?”

“Yes, and she and Salma had a male lover they shared!” Lamia called off-screen.  “Also, my ancestors didn’t really want the Poswali throne! Eventually, we gave it to House Sayegh, who were betrayed by the Botros, who were overthrown by the Hoseins, who then lost it to the Nejems in the Poswali Civil War of 4327, who are better rulers!  The Nejems and Gerges are centuries-long allies! We’ll cover it in Poswa’s history!”

“…Oh gods, we’re going to have specific countries’ history,” Howe groaned.

“Anyway,” Sulaiman said, showing the image of the purple haired woman, “Anbara fought Shabaan, and not only won the battle, but her using Taryn caused a massive earthquake that destroyed Un Nasa.”  As if to prove his point, the purple haired woman slashed her sword into the blue-haired man’s axe, which seemed to have a watery effect, but it tremored. The blow from the sword split the ground, and the world shook.  The city was severely damaged, and much of it suddenly fell into the split open earth. “Anbara forever regretted not controlling her rage, that day, but to save the woman she loved, she destroyed Un Nasa, sending it collapsing into a dark canyon.  It turns out that Un Nasa was built on a fault line. Well, a sword infused with the magical earth element made by a legendary dragon smith god probably shouldn’t be used in anger on fault lines. Still, she abandoned the sword, feeling disgusted with herself.  It took several generations for Lamia’s ancestor to get Taryn back in Poswali hands.”

“And that destroyed Ugurbuh?” Howe concluded.

“It led to its downfall, and the birth of Ustros and Upril,” Tawni answered.  “As well as the Ustrosi Thieves Guild, later. But with the capital city lost and the sultan slain, Ugurbuh lost most of its accumulated wealth and power, and the orichalcum that once protected the country from mad genies like Sizah was gone, too.  That led to another dark era in Orobia.”

“How dark are we talking?” Howe questioned.

**Era 6:  The Era of Sizah (3456-3839 ARI)**

“Oh… pegasus dung,” Howe grimaced, looking at Sizah ravaging several manakete villages.”

“This was a bad time to be either a manakete or someone who worshipped dragons in Orobia,” Yasmin frowned while she and Lamia came back in.  “Janiya, can I have a hug, little sister?”

“Yeah, Sis,” Janiya said, opening her arms and embracing her older sister.  “I can’t believe this genocidal genie got her own era.”

“On behalf on my entire bloodline,” Lamia bowed, “I apologize for allowing Sizah to come to power.  Therefore my family retired our claim to the throne after a few generations of ruling, and we met the Nejems, who were beginning their rise to power.”  She bowed to Sulaiman.

“We should look on the bright side,” Sulaiman assured his retainer, gently smiling at Lamia.  “Your ancestor was in love, and love makes us do crazy things… like destroy countries. And if not for her, Poswa would never had been founded, and with it Cruibia.”

“…Gods, I can’t wait for our wedding,” Yasmin squealed.  “…You know, Lamia, there’s something you and I really should talk about….”

“Why are you two back?” Howe asked.

Lamia answered, “Because someone really should talk about Sizah, and we’ve convinced King Darius to stop wasting his money on trying to summon his late wife to resurrect her.”

Yasmin continued, “Anyway, Sizah had broken free from her binds, and ran amok for nearly 500 years.  Sure, she had plenty of setbacks that prevented her crusade from destroying the entire manakete race, like the deaths of her sons and her daughter’s disappearance, her lover’s split, and Gargec Himself successfully recovering some Fire Emblem fragments AND another of his special elemental weapons designed to free Rerci.  However, she did a lot of damage. In this period, humanity finally discovered a metal perfect for piercing dragon scales and killing dragons: wyrmsbane.”

“As such, wyrmslayers were made,” Sulaiman concluded.  “Isn’t that Sizah’s iconic sword?”

“Yes,” Janiya frowned.  “And she’s ruthless with them.  Of course, draco-lances and dragon axes were popular, too.  Although they’re rare, now.”

“The point is, Princess Janiya, Sizah began a reign of terror,” Lamia said, showing the image of Sizah ripping through a great deal of Orobia.  “Rerci’s name once again became taboo, but this time out of fear than rage. Even nowadays, it’s controversial. In fact, several Poswali houses were exiled from Poswa because of it out of fear of Sizah’s madness.  But one of these houses was House Madani… I think we’ve covered this story in _Night of Tales.”_

“The Founding of Cruibia,” Janiya smirked.  “Go to my campaign’s first chapter for that, but a summary, my ancestors ran into Gargec, who guided them to an oasis they could build a new life by, and began a thriving community.  Gargec even gave them Hova as thanks for honoring Rerci in this trying time.” The crystal then showed just that, a young couple building a small home, which over years grew into a castle and then city.  “But Sizah came, and created a massive drought.” The land dried up, and Sizah stood outside of the city, holding a crying baby. “She kidnapped my ancestor’s newborn baby, and demanded Hova in exchange for releasing him and ending the drought.”  The next scene showed the king kneeling to Gargec, demanding help. Gargec had his back turned to the man, hammering away.

“So, why is he going to Gargec for help?” Howe questioned.

“Gargec gave him Father’s iconic sword,” Janiya grinned.  The man was then presented by Gargec a sword crackling with electricity.  “Behold: Pillansufa!”

“So… what, it’s Orobian Raijinto?” Howe questioned.

“Pretty much,” both princesses admitted.

“It’s not a katana, though, it’s a scimitar that can control storms,” Janiya said.  She turned to her sister, and said, “Dibs on using it.”

“Go ahead,” Yasmin said.

“But it was enough to stop Sizah,” Sulaiman said.  Sizah was then struck with a tornado AND a thunderbolt before being stabbed through by dragon claws.  Her soul was then bound into her favorite wyrmslayer, and she was whisked into its hilt. “Faced with two Gargec weapons AND Gargec Himself, Sizah was defeated for good… at least, until our mothers accidentally unleashed her when they found the sword she was sealed in, alongside three Fire Emblem fragments.  With the founding of Cruibia, Orobia knew peace once again. Gargec hid her sword, hoping to let it rust and with it destroy her soul while she was still trapped.”

**Era 7:  Setting Up Modern Orobia after Sizah (3840-4478 ARI)**

“After Sizah’s colossal defeat at the hands of the first Cruibian King,” Janiya said, looking at the map of the world, including Orobia, “not a whole lot happened until the liberation of Giuss, the establishment of Xuhua, and the crowning of the first Argelian Empress.”  As she mentioned each country, all three lit up. “That all happened in the same short time period?”

“You’d be surprised what happens in a couple decades,” Sulaiman said.  “And ‘not a lot happening’, Princess Janiya? The Founding of Tanuhah, Ali Baba establishing the Thieves Guild in response to the rise of Ustrosi corruption, the Romani Immigrations, The Northern Wars pushing people into Poswa and Cruibia to boost our nations’ power, the Manakete Rebellions during which Lady Adre was born and Nejem finally gained the throne during the Poswali Civil War, the rise of the Templars, and the Reconstruction of the Temple of Rerci, would like to formally disagree with you.”

“I was hoping to avoid a complaint from the captain about time.”

“Well, he’ll just have to suck it up,” Tawni said.  “How much do we have?”

“We started back up on page 12, it’s page 17, so I’d say we’re five pages in,” Howe said.  “Look, don’t make a show out of this, just start summarizing.”

“Well, to keep this short,” Sulaiman sighed, “I’ll sum up each event in a sentence.”  As Sulaiman described each event, pictures popped up. “Tanuhah was founded by several groups who would become the nobles of Poswa you’ll see in my campaign, and very quickly became the seat of power in Poswa.  Near the start of this last millennium, Ali Baba, to give the less fortunate of an easily corrupted Ustros a chance of survival, established the Ustrosi Thieves Guild, which was a hell of a lot better than the current establishment, and had a Robin Hood approach.  In what would become Argelia, there was a major exodus of Romani people, who came to Orobia and blended in, even having an impact on the Ustrosi Thieves Guild and being influenced by them in turn.”

“Wait, so there’s Roma in Argelia?” Janiya asked.

“Yep!” Tawni beamed.  “Argelia, Orobia, Xuhua, Giuss.  Noi romii suntem practic peste tot {We Roma are practically everywhere!}!”

“Thank gods this is semi-canon, so I can read subtitles,” Janiya said.

“Rusnad, Upril, and Ustros took ages getting along to the point several of their people fled to our lands to escape the northern wars,” Sulaiman continued, “which gave our nations so much power to the point that Poswa and Cruibia easily became the powerhouses that we are.”  He, Yasmin, Lamia, and Janiya exchanged high fives.

“Southern Orobian pride aside, what about the Manakete Rebellions and Poswali Civil War?” Tawni asked, innocently killing their buzz.

“It’s a bit hard to sum that up in in sentence,” Lamia sighed.  On the crystal, several angry manaketes showed up, holding dragonstones.  “Poswa and Rusnad had a problem, which was a group of manaketes getting tired of humans being in charge, and wanted to reclaim their old roots.  This was against the wishes of other manaketes who wanted peace.” The angry manaketes were then faced by not-angry manaketes, as well as the flags of Poswa and Rusnad.  “This was the beginning Manakete Rebellions and led to a schism between the manaketes, which ended up with Rusnad and Poswa’s Sultan and Pharaoh having to work together to quell the rebellions.  But there was a slight problem.” Suddenly, the Poswali flag turned into a flag of a gold and black viper, and it then slammed into the back of the Rusnadi flag-carrier. “This was the point that Poswa had a serious backstabbing problem with second-born children wanting power over their older siblings, and while House Hosein was in charge, so the Hoseins tried to betray Rusnad’s Pharaoh, wanting to take over Rusnad.”  Before the Rusnadi flag-bearer could be killed, the Nejem’s flag blocked the Hosein flag carrier, and then knocked them out. The Nejem’s flag carrier grabbed the Rusnadi’s hand, and they fought the rogue manaketes. “This led to House Nejem rebelling against them, and taking over to keep the alliance and achieve peace against the rebelling manaketes. It was during this time that Adre, the oldest of the heroines of Aseel’s War, was born.”

“She was the oldest?” Howe questions.  “I heard that one of the Orobian queens was born half-djinn.  You think that queen would have countered—”

“Mother wasn’t even 50, which is quite young for a djinn when she died,” Sulaiman frowned.

“Wow, I am SO sorry.”

“Then please be quiet for the rest of this,” Sulaiman said.  Turning back to Lamia, he smiled, “Anyway, with Sizah gone, people refound Rerci’s religion, and safely clung to it, resulting in the Temple of Rerci resurrecting after suffering Sizah’s wrath.  In Argelia, it had won its first conquest on its continent, and began its empire under the rule of Empress Kiymet. Xuhua was formed from the result of a fault in the Dragon Gate sending a bunch of Hoshidans and Chon’sinians from the Outrealms of _Awakening_ and _Fates_ here, and they decided to work together to build a country on the sea.  As for the Liberation of Giuss, you should know this, Howe.”

“Well, you’re in luck, I do,” Howe smirked.  “Cruibia discovered Ustros’ taking advantage of the island of Giuss as a penal colony, and went to war over it.  They helped free us, but Giuss was tired of Orobian politics, and declared its own independence. To this day, it’s a nation of trade and neutral territory.”

**Era 8:  The Silver Ages (4479-4925 ARI)**

“I’m not going to lie, here,” Lamia said, “the next few centuries were surprisingly light on us.  Sure, there were villains, heroes, treasure, power struggles, and Poswa’s chronic backstabbing amongst the upper class, but we survived.  With House Nejem fully in charge in Poswa, the nation was quick in getting control of itself.”

“As for Cruibia, we were thriving as well,” Yasmin smiled.  “In fact… if it wasn’t for Poswa and Cruibia not exactly liking each other because of tensions on the borders, but trying to avoid killing each other, it would have been perfect.  It was history repeating itself.”

“Also, the Fire Emblem fragments changing hands constantly, almost everyone forgetting the legends?” Janiya questioned.

“Oh, yes,” Lamia remembered.

“Yeah, the fragments did exchange hands so much before Gargec got them,” Yasmin said.  “Before Mother, Sultana Farah, and Queen Kalia all got their own fragments from His hidden workshop.  But Gargec also recovered and repaired Taryn and the water axe we once talked about. He also found a dagger of flames.  He gave the water axe to Ustros’ royal family, and the earth sword to House Gerges.”

“Who in turn gifted Taryn to House Nejem, securing our loyalty to the Nejems,” Lamia smirked.

“Can I get a word in?” Tawni said.  “So, what about that fire dagger?”

“Oh, Gargec gave it to a noble family in Rusnad,” Yasmin said.

“Interesting,” Tawni said.

“I don’t understand,” Janiya interrupted.  “Why did Gargec, who wanted to free Rerci, give up four of His only tools to do the job?”

“Well, one person, no matter how powerful they are, can’t wield a sword, a two-handed battle-axe, a dagger, and a magical spellbook at the same time,” Lamia logically concluded.  “Two of those weapons require two hands at all times: yours and the axe. Although, considering how most infantry sword-wielders in the _Fire Emblem_ universe since the series went 3-D tend to use both-hands, although scimitars are usually a one-handed blade….”

“We both use one hand for sword combat,” Sulaiman assured Lamia.

“Alright,” Lamia nodded.  “My point, Princess Janiya, is that Gargec was perhaps hoping that Rerci would be saved by four warriors coming together with the weapons in hand, and breaking open her prison.  His other plan, of course, has always been the Fire Emblem.”

“Well, two out of four weapons and one Fire Emblem fragment isn’t so bad,” Janiya grinned.

“But at this point in the story, the four of you haven’t joined forces, yet,” Lamia said.

“Well, the Silver Age had its peace, so to speak,” Sulaiman interjected.  “Sure, there were wars, skirmishes between Poswa and Cruibia, disasters, and even the power struggles between siblings in Western Orobia to the point where it became common that elder siblings almost expect betrayals and actually preempt them by killing their younger siblings themselves, but nothing really big happened in Orobia overall.  Argelia, meanwhile, was truly getting started, eventually joined willingly by the former nation of Aksoy, and eventually began its spread across its continent. We of Orobia stayed out of Argelian politics, but we did send emissaries to establish peace. That’s when we learned Argelia’s language and a bit of culture. Meanwhile, Giuss was getting started and successful.  But at the end of this era, two things happened of great critical importance.”

“What?” Tawni asked, looking at the large question mark happened.

“One, my great grandfather Gizeh was crowned Sultan, and two, the rise of the Oshiro dynasty in Xuhua.”

“Great,” Howe grinned.  “We’re almost done with this really long history of Orobia arc!”  He then tried taking a drink, only to find his flask empty. “…Uh can I go get a drink?”

“Really?  Right now?” Sulaiman asked.

“I suppose this stuff was pretty long, and we only have three eras left,” Janiya said.  “And the last two are pretty long. This is break worthy.”

“Well, I do have to go find the little Roma’s room,” Tawni said.

“I suppose I should go, too,” Yasmin shrugged.

“I also need to relieve myself,” Lamia sighed.  “Sorry, Prince Sulaiman, but nature does call. Don’t worry, this is the last break any of us need!”

“You two are staying for the rest of this?” Howe asked.

“Yep!” Yasmin said.  “Because Sultan Gizeh leads into Wisaam, which leads into our family, which means our mothers finally meet our fathers!”

“It’s an interesting period,” Lamia justified.  “So, what happens with these smoke bombs?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Tawni smirked.  She pulled one out, and threw it down.  When the smoke cleared, everyone but Janiya was gone, again.

“Oh come on!” the younger Cruibian princess frowned, walking off screen.  “We’ll be back! Go to the next chapter!”


	3. The Orobian Timeline, Part 3

**“The Orobian Timeline, Part 3”**

“You know,” Sulaiman smiled at his fiancée when the two of them walked back in, “we should have this alone time more often, you and I.  It’s really nice, Yasmin.”

“Yes, it is,” Yasmin agreed.  “I’m so glad Mother had me come to Poswa that one time when we were kids?”

“Even though you were nearly kidnapped by those brigands who broke into the castle?” Sulaiman asked.  Yasmin nodded.

“Well, I wouldn’t have met you if it didn’t happen.  And we wouldn’t have found Ebony’s egg afterwards.  I love you so much, my Poswali prince.”

"And I love you, my Cruibian Princess."

"Oh gods, really?" Janiya complained off screen.

"Janiya?" Yasmin asked.  Suddenly, a smoke bomb went off behind them, and Howe, Janiya, and Lamia walked out of the smoke.  “Oh, hi, everyone! Wait… where’s Miss Tawni?”

She was answered by Tawni riding in on the back of chibi Jamal’s chibi camel.  “Mulțumesc pentru călătorie, Jamal {Thank you for the ride, Jamal}!”

“Oricând, Tawni {Anytime, Tawni},” Jamal said while Tawni flipped off the camel.  She then rubbed the camel’s chin, and fed him a few dates. The camel then licked her cheek, making the Romani giggle while Jamal bowed to the royals.  “Prince Sulaiman, Princesses Janiya and Yasmin.”

“Sorry guys, Romani business,” Tawni said, pulling out her glasses while Jamal rode away.  “Did we already get started?”

“Oh, right, we’re finally finishing Orobia’s history,” Howe remembered.  “And here I was thinking we were date watching.”

“Much to our protests,” Lamia and Janiya both said.

“Well, I do want to cover my great grandfather,” Sulaiman said.  “And I suppose you’ll want to mention your grandfather, Captain?”

“You’re damn right I do, so fire up that astral plate!” Howe said.  Yasmin pulled out her astral plate, and charged it with her magic. “Oh, right, you have one, too.”

“The two of us are much better at magic than our mother and especially Father,” Yasmin said.  “So, let’s see here… ah, here’s Sultan Gizeh’s reign! Sulaiman?”

“Gladly,” Sulaiman smiled.

**Era 9:  Sultan Gizeh and Nobunaga’s Siege (4926-4952 ARI)**

“Tragedy struck the Poswali royal family when an attempted coup d’état by a fallen house, Hosein, led to the deaths of not only then Sultan Thaamir, but Gizeh’s older brothers, Asghar and Basheer.  The kingdom was worried that having another spare-born Poswali noble in charge would condemn the nation. But Wisaam was smart and noble, almost peaceful. I say ‘almost’, because he had to deal with the civil war that happened because of the coup, and he DID destroy House Hosein’s leadership, but he spared the non-combatants and children, instead having them exiled.”

“You know, I think I know the name ‘Hosein’,” Howe said.  “I ran into them once or twice.”

“Perhaps,” Sulaiman shrugged.  “But during his rule officially started, he proved to be a just sultan to his people.  He even willingly gave up Taryn to House Sayegh in exchange for the blessing to marry his bride, my great grandmother Hasnaa.  One of his few critical errors, I’ve been unfortunately told again and again, was not killing his younger twin son, Aseel when the boy was born.”  The crystal showed two men, looking exactly alike, save for two differences: one wore red and white, and the other wore green and blue. “The one wearing white is my grandfather, Wisaam.  But Great Uncle Aseel was cruel, ruthless, and scheming. Looking back at it, now, even his supposed joining of the Temple of Rerci and ‘forsaking the throne’ was a ruse. My own father was born during this time, since Wisaam married quite young, but was so in love with his wife.”

“Well, that’s the next era,” Howe said.  Showing a white-haired man with neater clothes than Howe’s, a thin mustache, and a glass eyepatch over his teal left eye and nothing over his green right eye, he narrated, “Meanwhile, my own grandfather was born and raised in this time, Novan Howe making some waves.  He left Giuss to serve Ustros as a privateer. At least, until he heard of Oshiro Nobunaga, the man who declared himself the Sun Dragon Emperor of Xuhua.”

It then showed the massive Xuhua fleet.  Howe said, “Xuhua, deciding Argelia shouldn’t be the only empire in the world, began conquering several sea islands and launched a brutal campaign against Giuss.  Cruibia and Upril suffered serious naval casualties against the Xuhuan fleet, the Cruibians because their naval capabilities were lackluster and Upril because they weren’t used to fighting Xuhuan ninjas.  The thing was, Ustros didn’t care about Xuhua’s conquest... at least, until the fleet bombarded one of their port towns.” The astral plate showed a heavily damaged Ustrosi port town, and the Ustrosi in a panic.  “Of course, it’s their problem when Xuhua turned to them, but Giuss and countless other islands weren’t important to Ustros. It disgusted my grandfather to the point that he went against Ustros’ orders to begin his own campaign against Xuhua.  Several victories from my grandfather with hit and run tactics and destructive ambushes got the Emperor’s attention.”

As if on cue, the image showed the Sun Dragon Emperor, dressed in his full battle garb and katana drawn, prepared to go to war.  He chased Novan Howe’s fleet, firing on them as they sailed. “He eventually found my grandfather’s much smaller fleet, and demanded either Grandfather dueled him or surrender, less he destroy the fleet.  But Nobunaga underestimated my grandfather’s tactics… or lack of care for Xuhuan honor. To many Xuhuans, how my grandfather dealt with Nobunaga was crossing a line. But to some Orobians and many Giusseans, he was a war hero.  But he lured Nobunaga into a trap, and destroyed most of his fleet, killing Nobunaga and ending his siege. They never once clashed weapons.”

“…That was cold, even by my standards of warfare,” Janiya grimaced, watching the destruction of the Xuhuan fleet.

“It was his only card he had to win.  Can we get to the last two eras, now?”

**Era 10:  Aseel and Sizah’s Terror (4953-4975 ARI)**

“You know,” Howe observed, “that’s actually longer than I thought it would be.”

"Oh, this is easily our longest part," Sulaiman said.  "So long, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if someone thought it was enough material to make a prequel ala  _Blazing Sword."_   He then asked, "Hey, Miss Lyndis!  That's your game, right?"

"Technically, only the first part!  The rest is Eliwood and Hector!" a female voice called off-screen.

"Thank you!" Sulaiman smiled.  Everyone looked at Sulaiman.  "What, this is a semi-canon fanfiction.  I can talk with real characters from the series, here."

"And Lyn's one of the most attractive lords of the series," Howe smirked, bumping his elbow into Sulaiman's arm.  Janiya and Tawni both cleared their throats.  "I said 'one of'."

"Thank you!" Tawni beamed.

“We should start with Cruibia,” Janiya said.  “You see, our royal grandparents had Father by this point, while Mother wasn’t born until about 4957.  Yes, there was a slight age gap between Mother and Father, and Aunt Etti was also born a bit older than this.  Also, Uncle Kamyar was born in 4954.”

“Meanwhile, my own grandfather finally was crowned Sultan after Great Grandfather Gizeh passed peacefully in his sleep,” Sulaiman said.  “Mother herself was born in 4958, a few years after Father in early 4954, her father from Ustros, and her mother from Cruibia. One of the first half-genies in Cruibia in centuries.  Now, Great Uncle Aseel was a very patient man, waiting decades for my grandfather Wisaam to finally screw up so he could challenge Wisaam’s claim to the throne and he waited until my father was becoming of age to make his move since that was the start of his last opportunity to seize power, but he did not lack ambition, and he hated Cruibia’s ideals of peace.  He knew the legends of Rerci, and thought uniting Orobia under him would give him enough of an army to free Her, and make Her grant his ultimate wish: to become a god.”

“Wait, that was his plan?” Janiya questioned.  “Sheesh, he WAS a madman! No offense, Prince Sulaiman.”

“None taken,” Sulaiman said.

“Not to be rude, but wasn’t it during this period that a coup happened in Rusnad?” Lamia asked.  “Pharaoh Ammon’s father, Rak-hor Misfud, overthrew the ruling house of Eldeskoy, and framed House Adio of the deed, and destroyed them… save for Queen Nakia, who was discovered alive.”

“That’s nice to know, Miss Lamia,” Tawni smiled.  “Too bad Rusnad wasn’t really paid too much attention to, because Poswa could have helped her.”

“I’m sure grandfather could have helped,” Sulaiman frowned, “if he had paid attention.  But people were paying so much attention to Cruibia and Poswa’s growing tension that this was glossed over.”

Janiya continued, “Anyway, it was several months before the war when our mothers met, became fast friends, and were joined by Etti, Queen Kalia, and Miss Adre in Cubes, one of Cruibia’s poorest cities at the time.  Together, they formed the Golden Valkyries, a group of treasure hunters and heroes for hire who traveled around Orobia, hoping to improve their livelihood and the lives of the people around them, with Minoo as their leader.  They even met other now well-known people, like crossing paths with the Dighton clan of Romani.”

“I think Father mentioned that,” Tawni beamed, looking at the picture of the five women.  “I know he met Duke Kamyar, saved his life once from manaketes who were willing to eat humans.”

“Speaking of Uncle Kamyar,” Yasmin frowned, “this was about near the time when the disastrous peace summit to settle tensions and border skirmishes between the Poswali and Cruibian royals occurred, and it was sabotaged by Prince Aseel.  He poisoned Wisaam’s wife, Sultana Sitaara, and placed enough evidence to frame our grandparents.” She then looked away while Wisaam turned from his dead wife, and turned towards the horrified Madanis. The next scene showed a blood-splattered Darius, scowling as Wisaam walked away.  “He killed our grandparents in front of Father, who he only spared because he didn’t want a child’s blood on his hands. Father swore bloody revenge as the young king of Cruibia, and eventually met Sulaiman’s father, Mecca, on the battlefield. Neither could beat the other. He eventually drafted Uncle Kamyar, which horrified Mother.  She and her friends agreed to convince Father to stop… but not before they accidentally stumbled onto Gargec’s workshop, the Fire Emblem fragments, and one other thing.”

“Sizah?” Howe asked, already knowing where this was going.

“Yep,” all three Orobian “lords” answered, showing a young Minoo holding Sizah’s sword, and the djinn popping out.

“Unfortunately,” Janiya grimaced, “Sizah didn’t take too kindly to Aunt Adre being a manakete and Sultana Farah being a genie who BEFRIENDED a manakete.  Add in Aunt Etti and Mother’s Cruibian blood and Queen Kalia’s neutrality to the manakete-djinn debate Sizah tried to enforce, and, well… Sizah wanted the lot of them dead the minute she laid eyes on them.”  Sizah, seeing the group, lunged at them, the five barely dodging out of the way. “A fight ensued, but Mother and her friends easily defeated a weakened Sizah.”

It showed Minoo having impaled Sizah with her own wyrmslayer.  But Sizah, despite the rusty two-handed sword embedded in her chest and blood dripping down her chin, only grinned, headbutted a confused Minoo, and teleported out in a puff of smoke, vowing revenge.  Minoo’s group, not wanting to be there when Sizah returned, escaped.

“However, Sizah managed to get her wyrmslayer and escape before Mother realized the best ways to kill a bound genie were to either take her head off, use orichalcum, or destroy her bound object and THEN inflict a mortal wound, which led to Sizah getting her wyrmslayer repaired and reforged, and began pursuing them for over two years.”

“That’s one determined, genocidal, irredeemably evil bitch,” Howe said.

“Language, Captain,” Lamia chastised.  “Meanwhile, Sultan Mecca, back when he was a prince, was constantly schemed against by his uncle.”  She looked at a young Mecca on a camel, leading several Poswali troops. “He was constantly sent into missions by his uncle, who had gotten so good at pretending to be his older twin brother, he actually managed to fool his nephew.  He was tricked into going on suicide missions in Aseel’s attempts to eliminate him as a rival to the throne… since Sultan Mecca was an only child. Aseel didn’t even consider his own wife and children above sacrificing for his drive.”

“If there was one positive came from this,” Sulaiman said, “it was that Mother met Father, and Father, enraptured by mother’s charm and magical prowess, fell head over heels at first sight.”  To emphasize this, Mecca in the astral plate’s image found himself looking at Farah, who blinked in confusion as the Poswali crown prince (at the time) stared at her. “Mother eventually returned his feelings when he saved her from Sizah one time.”

“Aw, how cute!” Yasmin beamed.  “Mother and Father’s first meeting wasn’t that touching.”  As if to emphasize her point, she turned to the image and showed Darius and Minoo fighting with their swords, Darius surprised how quick and determined Minoo was for a young woman, blowing her hair out of her face before rushing at him again.  “Fun fact, Mother actually defeated Father before Mecca came close. That’s what earned Father’s admiration for her.”

“So what earned Queen Kalia her throne?” Howe asked the royals.  “I know my grandfather was once more active during this war, having fought the Poswali armies and brigands from invading the north, but I’m a little sketchy on what happened that didn’t involve him.”

“Oh, there was a time where Aseel’s War hit Ustros,” Tawni interjected.  “I heard from Duke Kamyar that Poswali troops once marched into Ustros during Aseel’s coup d’état, and Queen Kalia healed the once critically wounded King Usman, who had been captured by the Poswali.  Sultan Mecca personally apologized to Usman, and the two men realized Aseel had gone too far.”

“That’s quite brilliant, Miss Tawni,” Sulaiman complimented her.  “And very well-informed. You really know your history.” Tawni blushed at the comment.

“Careful, Sulaiman,” Yasmin giggled.  “You might charm more ladies that way.”

“You are WAY too open with your boyfriend,” Janiya frowned.

“So, when did Mecca realize his father wasn’t his father?” Howe questioned.

“When Great Uncle Aseel finally set up a mission that led Father into a dangerous trap he wouldn’t have gotten out of without Mother’s help,” Sulaiman said, showing his father, his mother, a young Kamyar, a young Qiana, and the rest of Minoo’s group in a death trap, every single one of them bleeding from a part of their bodies with snake bites, with Aseel sneering down at them as sand began to rise.  Aseel then turned away, laughing at his now emotionally broken nephew, while his cousins sadly followed their father… save for one. A female cousin, who stayed behind, and reached down. Farah quickly teleported towards Mecca’s cousin, and reappeared close enough to grab her hand, and be pulled out. From there, Farah’s eyes went from their blue to bright white, and she channeled her magic while her necklace shined, resulting in the image whiting out.

“Typical villain ball, leaving the heroes to die instead of killing them when he had them at their mercy,” Howe deadpanned.  “Did he NOT consider shooting them himself?”

“To be fair,” Yasmin said, “they were all poisoned with snake venom save for Sultana Farah during this moment, and they were in a trap where sand was beginning to rise to flood the room and smother them.  He didn’t know she was half-djinn until it was too late, and her genie side was better able to fight off the poison. It’s how Prince Sulaiman survived being poisoned in the past.”

“A part that I’d rather not think about,” Sulaiman said.  “Only large quantities of orichalcum or ironleaf can actually poison a djinn.”

“Better than an earth manakete?”

“Aunt Adre is a sand dragon, not a swamp dragon.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Swamp dragons are the ones who are immune to poison, sand dragons aren’t.”

“…How does that work?”

“Anyway,” Sulaiman interjected, looking proudly at his parents standing side-by-side as they stood against Aseel, “having discovered my great uncle’s betrayal, my father tried to hurry home, only to find his father already dead, and Aseel having secrectly taken over the country.    But there was one thing that my grandfather had that my great uncle didn’t: a mole on the back of his left hand. He proved to the people he was Aseel, not Wisaam, and thus overthrew him.” He then frowned. “But not without serious consequences.” The astral plate showed his father’s cousin, who risked her life to once help save him, dead on the floor, Mecca cradling her body.  The other cousins were also dead, but Aseel escaped. “My father’s family was destroyed. This was the scene King Darius walked into when he invaded Tanuhah, the first enemy to breach the great gates since House Nejem did.”

As if on cue, the gates of Tanuhah came crashing open, and Darius walked in, murder in his eyes and so, but instead saw Mecca, a look of despair and rage on his face as he instead looked at the corpses of his cousin while his uncle fled.  Mecca brushed past his would-be enemy, and headed after his uncle, borrowing a wyvern to do so.

“Sultan Mecca didn’t even care for King Darius wanting to fight him?” Tawni gasped.  “Wow… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“My father may have butted heads with my cousins at times, but he loved all of them,” Sulaiman said.  “They were the siblings my father never had. Watching his uncle, who had been a second father to him, not only betray and usurp his family without a second thought, but dispatch his cousins against him to die and even personally killing his favorite cousin in cold blood after she tried to talk Aseel down… Father was beyond upset.”  The astral plate showed Farah going after him, making sure he was alright, followed by the rest of her friends. “To him, the war was never personal… just ugly business. Despite being trained to fight and at the time thinking Darius’ parents killed his mother, he never liked battling Darius. Even less so when he found out the truth.”

“So, what happened?” Howe asked.

Lamia answered, looking at Mecca standing over his uncle’s slumped over corpse, “Sultan Mecca eventually caught and defeated Aseel for good, ending his ambition.  But with the battle for Poswa over, it was time to address the elephant in the room.” He looked at Darius, who finally caught up. Although Darius briefly smiled while helping up an awed Minoo from her collapsing in exhaustion after a fight, he turned to Mecca, who had Farah looking over his wounds.  The two princes turned young kings scowled at each other. “Unfortunately for everyone, King Darius still wanted revenge for his parents’ death, and it was now denied from him not once, but twice. He demanded Mecca face him in a duel at the Valley of Fangs. As the last members of their respective bloodlines at the time, it was clear the winner would not only be the winner of the war, but would be king of both nations.  Sultan Mecca, as he felt obligated to by honor and what the Poswali people expected of their ruler, accepted Darius’ challenge. The two princes bid farewell to the women they loved, and Darius even rewarding Minoo with her brother freed from his service to the crown, and they headed to the Valley of Fangs to fight to the death in what would be known as the Battle of the Young Kings.”

The crystal then showed Darius and Mecca fighting at the bottom of a deep valley, Mecca holding the smoking green large Moorish sword while Darius held his blue sparking scimitar.  The valley was filled with Poswali and Cruibians alike, as well as Ustrosi, Uprilians, and even some Rusnadi who wanted to see the fate of southern Orobia be decided. The two young princes broke off their clash to study each other, neither showing any signs of faltering despite the small scars each one of them had.  The princes then ran at each other, swinging their iconic swords.

“For those of you who want to know about where this is,” Tawni said, “recall the Dragon-Genie War that more-or-less kick-started Orobia’s problems… especially a certain mad djinn?  The Valley of Fangs a created because of the final battle between the two tribes, leaving Orobian humans in charge of it.”

“The final battle of the war between Poswa and Cruibia was the first major battle fought there in nearly three millennia  But even though Father finally respected Mother’s wish and Uncle Kamyar was freed from military obligations,” Yasmin said, “Mother finally realized her feelings for Father, and couldn’t watch Father throw his life away for the sake of honor and revenge… while she didn’t want Sultana Farah to lose her own love.  The two and their allies headed for the Valley of Fangs, determined to stop the war through love, not hate.”

The astral plate showed Farah appearing in front of Mecca, using her magic to stop his sword, while Minoo blocked Darius’ sword with her own.  The two women looked deep into the princes’ eyes, and used their free hand to grab their lovers’ hands, gently smiling at them. Mecca was the one who relented first, stabbing the ground with his sword.  He then looked at his counterpart, and extended his hand. Darius seemed reluctant at first, but looked at Farah, who was shooting a pleading look at him. He turned to Kamyar, who was being looked over by Etti.  He even spotted Kalia with a young King Usman, who had come to the battle. He spotted Adre, casually talking with her fellow manaketes, and even stopping to look over a male one who seemed nervous, but she smirked at him.  He finally looked at Minoo, who had tears in her eyes. Darius sighed, and dropped Pillansufa. He then walked forward, and reached for Mecca’s hand… only for Minoo and Farah to suddenly push their lovers out of the way and be blasted several meters away.  The two princes spotted Sizah, her eyes shining with thousands of years worth of wrath in her eyes.

“Wait, Sizah!?  Again?” Howe asked.  “Does that woman have nothing better to do!?”

“If she was in  _ Heroes, _ she’d easily be a Grand Hero Battle!” Anna called in.

“Thank Rerci we’re fan characters,” Lamia grimaced, watching Sizah blast the three remaining heroines.  “But yes, Sizah came to the final battle site. She had carved a path of serious destruction throughout Orobia in her pursuit of the five who released her, and ravaged a great deal of Cruibia.  She wasn’t about to let them get away, now that she had them in her sights. But she made one fatal error in her attempts to destroy the Golden Valkyries: she did so in the presence of thousands of people who now owed the Golden Valkyries their lives, including two princes with elemental weapons forged by Gargec.”

The next image showed Minoo, Farah, Adre, Etti, and Kalia recover from their injuries, and prepare to face Sizah, but not alone.  Mecca, Darius, and all their allies came to their aid. Howe scratched his head while watching the final battle begin. “Wait a second, the Orobians actually all worked together to fight Sizah… and WON?  Um, that had a LOT of casualties at least, didn’t it?”

“Of course,” Sulaiman nodded.  “Sizah was a powerful being, so LOT of people died at her hands, especially those who either rode wyverns or were manaketes, but Sizah couldn’t one-woman army her way through the battle.  There were just far too many people for here to realistically defeat in one sitting. This wasn’t a video game.”

“Yes, this is a fanfiction based on a series of video games,” Howe said.  “But if I recall Malsum, he actually WON most attempts to fight him?”

“Orichalcum, improved tactics, numbers several times greater than the largest armies Orobia had against Malsum, and unlike Malsum, Sizah was alone.”

“…Yeah, that would do it.”

“Sizah was incredibly powerful, but power has limits,” Janiya said.  “And this time, Mother knew what she was doing.”

In the image, Minoo, using the Fire Emblem fragment she had on her, dodged Sizah’s most powerful flurry of attacks, and knocked Sizah’s sword away.  She then quickly stabbed Sizah before turning to Sizah’s sword, and began charging up a magic spell alongside Farah, who had two spells nearly ready.  Before Sizah could recover from the stab, Adre, in her dragon form, slammed a massive set of claws into her. While Sizah was coming off THAT wound, suddenly froze when Kalia waved her Freeze staff.  She was about to cast a Mire spell when Etti hit her through with a Thoron spell. Sizah was then hit by a high-level fire spell, curiosity of Farah. But despite all five of those, Sizah erupted in power, slashing Adre with a second wyrmslayer to make her back off and drop her dragonstone, and followed it up with a spell that began to cause Adre’s eyes started turning to Sizah’s eye color. But before she could gain full control of Adre, Mecca impaled her with his own sword, followed by Darius.  Farah and Minoo then turned back to the wyrmslayer, and blasted it to a molten puddle. While Sizah collapsed onto her knees, Darius backed up, while Mecca ripped out both swords, throwing them aside and lettering her fall to the ground, some of her blood staining Adre’s stone. However, Darius pulled out a scroll, and began chanting while drawing symbols on Adre’s stone. When he finished, Sizah was whisked away into the stone, and all five founding members of the Golden Valkyries collapsed.

“It took almost everything they had, but Sizah was finally defeated,” Janiya smirked.  “Although some people think Father made a mistake not killing her. Oh well, time for me to deal with her.”

“That wasn’t all that happened,” Yasmin reminded her sister.  She looked at the image, where Mecca grabbed Minoo’s hand, and pulled her up.  He helped her get over to not just her brother (who was aiding Etti), but to Darius, who had picked up Farah.  The two best friends hugged each other, and then turned to their lovers with expecting faces. Darius and Mecca looked at each other, and shook each other’s hand.  “Our mothers, intentionally or not, united Poswa and Cruibia, as well as almost all of Orobia, against a common foe. They ended the war.”

“And won the hearts of Father and Sultana Mecca,” Janiya said.

“It’s kind of nice how none of them set out to be queens, yet ended up becoming five of Orobia’s most powerful women,” Tawni said, smiling alongside the others as they watched the double wedding being performed by Kamyar with Etti as his plus-one that happened a few years later after the kingdoms rebuilt.  Farah and Minoo hugged one last time before Farah began her journey to Tanuhah, and Minoo her trek to Bagedzi. Meanwhile, Kalia was twirled around by a visiting Usman, and Adre smirked before flying away.

“You know, I think my brother was born almost fifteen months later,” Sulaiman said.  Everyone but Lamia and Yasmin all stared in surprise.

“And this segues into the final era,” Howe sighed.  “Our era.”

**Final Era:  The “Modern Day” (4976-4999 ARI)**

“So,” Lamia said, “how do we address this?”

“Well, let’s go through these events one at a time,” Sulaiman said.  Looking at a picture of Aladdin, he started, “So, like I said before, my older brother, Aladdin, was born a few years after Aseel’s War and two years after the reconstruction was dealt with and one year after Prince Khai of Upril.  Aladdin is the first known quarter-djinn in all Orobia. Now, you’d think this would make him incredibly weak by djinn standards, but we’ve found out hybrids are incredibly powerful.”

“That means you and he could be the most powerful beings in Orobia!” Tawni realized.

“Me?” Sulaiman asked.  He shook his head. “I doubt it.  I can’t use combat magic. I apparently was good with magic when I was a child, but nowadays, I have a block of some kind.”

“When did that start?” Yasmin asked.

“So around 4978, I was born, a bit around the same time as the man who is now known as King Rifat,” Howe said, changing the subject.  “Yes, I’m the oldest of the protagonists of this story.”

“I’m the second oldest,” Sulaiman said, pointing to 4980.  “Yasmin was born a few months ahead of me, and Lamia a few weeks after me.  And then Janiya was born almost two years later, and finally, Miss Tawni, who’s our youngest here.”  He showed a picture of Mawdood, and said, “I should add here that it was around 4980, anyway, when Mawdood first claimed the throne of the Ustrosi Thieves Guild, and began his ruthless conquest of the criminal underworld.”

“How is it that Tawni’s the Scherezade of this story, not counting the OTHER Scherezade submitted in the character forms, yet she’s younger than me, the Dunyazade of the story?” Janiya asked.

“I’m more world experienced,” Tawni offered.  “Being the daughter of the rom baro of a famous Romani caravan that travels around kind of helps.”

“And yet you’re the Pacifist Lord to my Martial.”

“About ten years later,” Sulaiman continued, looking at a picture of Lamia, Yasmin, and himself when they were kids, Sulaiman looking banged up while Lamia looked worried and Yasmin was giggling, “Lamia started being my retainer, and Yasmin and I first met in Tanuhah when her family save for Janiya came to visit.  I then saved her life, we found Ebony’s egg, and then practically began a puppy love variation of our romance.”

“It so could have been a love triangle,” Yasmin smirked, looking at Lamia.  The cleric blushed, and adjusted her glasses.

“I don’t need to hear that,” Janiya said.  “Can we cut to the reason why we’re all here?  The Widowing Massacre and our goal to make the Empress pay?”

“Oh, fine,” Yasmin said.  “Let me just fast-forward to the Sacking of Nourdari, and… here!”  The group all witnessed Howe standing on his ship, looking at the chaos around him.  His eyes widened as one of the Argelian ships he was with sank… before Howe scowled.

“Ugur’s going to get the whole damn fleet destroyed at this rate!”  He rushed towards the helm.

_ “Captain,” _ a holographic Sema said,  _ “be careful!  I’m just as mad, but it’s not worth throwing your life away!” _

“If I don’t do something about that schooner, the fleet will have to retreat!” Howe argued, sailing towards a schooner flying the Ustrosi catfish flag.  “Your cover’s already blown, Sema! If I don’t deal with the schooner, soon, we’ll have to leave you behind, and since Ustros has brutal prisons, I don’t want to think about what the Ustrosi will do to a lovely Argelian commander, and that’s assuming they don’t decide to immediately execute you!  My crew and I have got this… you focus on destroying that tower!”

“Um, Princess,” the modern chibi Howe said, “that’s a bit far.”

“Oops, that’s the Battle of Nourdari, not the sacking,” Yasmin realized.  “My mistake.”

“You… utter dastard!” Janiya growled, lunging at Howe, tackling him.  “You were responsible for Nourdari!? You piece of human garbage! Do you have any idea how much that defeat devastated northern Orobia!?”  She then began pounding on him until Sulaiman, Tawni, and Lamia began trying to pull her off.

- **Experiencing Technical Difficulties... and Princess-on-Pirate-Violence-**

A smoke bomb erupted, and Tawni and Sulaiman appeared.  “Ei bine, a urcat rapid {Well, that escalated quickly},” Tawni said.

“Pentru a fi corect, domnișoara Tawni, prințesa Janiya la avertizat pe căpitanul Howe să încerce să-l omoare în canon. Cred că a aflat că El a fost cel care a devastat majoritatea Orobiei de Nord până în restul campaniilor noastre a accelerat pur și simplu inevitabilul {To be fair, Miss Tawni, Princess Janiya did warn Captain Howe she'd try to kill him in canon.  I guess finding out that HE was the privateer who had devastated most of Northern Orobia by the time of the rest of our campaigns simply accelerated the inevitable},” Sulaiman replied to her.

“So, what now?” Tawni asked in Orobian.  “Captain’s getting absolutely destroyed by Princess Janiya—”

“You can’t dodge a tornado TWICE, pirate!” Janiya called off-screen.

“—And your fiancée and your best friend are trying to defuse the situation.”

“I guess the only thing left to do is do this ourselves,” Sulaiman sighed, pulling out his own astral plate.  “So, here we are. Oh, and fun fact, my brother was on a diplomatic mission about six months before the Sacking of Nourdari.”  He then channeled his magic, showing a devastated port town. “Nourdari, the birth place of not just Queen Kalia, one of the Golden Valkyries, but her son’s lover, Princess Consort Najiyya.  She was a beautiful girl, and Prince Rifat once told me to bless the stars that I found love like he did. For no known reason, Nourdari was attacked and severely devastated by the Argelian Empire, who we last really heard of back during the early part of the millennium.  Thousands perished by the Argelian Empire’s might, led by the mysterious Empress, Chitra.” Sulaiman then showed the woman on his screen.

“So, that’s the big bad of the story?” Tawni asked.  “She’s kind of pretty… and not showing off anywhere near the amount of skin expected of the Dark Lady or, heck, even an Ishtar.”

“You know, if I’ve read reports from our nation’s crow network of spies, right, Chitra isn’t as ruthless as this attack and the Widowing Massacre paint her as,” Sulaiman said.  “Don’t tell Princess Janiya, but Chitra was a far cry in terms of Empress than her grandmother, who was quite ruthless. Although some terrible things did happen on that continent on her watch, Chitra was supposedly an approachable woman.”

“Why does Poswa have crows as spies?” the gypsy asked.  “I honestly think fellow Romani are better spies than birds, since we’re everywhere.”

“…I should probably have Father consider that,” Sulaiman said.  “But I don’t know if he’ll agree to pay Romani for information since your clans are so hard to track down on purpose.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Tawni said.  “So, the Widowing Massacre? What happened?”

“I don’t really know,” Sulaiman said.  “Empress Chitra reportedly claimed that the attack was NOT ordered by her, and she, before Ustros launched warships to avenge its biggest port town, called for a peace summit with the queen of Ustros.  Chitra even went as far as to invite the other Orobian queens, in case they were allied with Ustros. However, because Queen Kalia had a very notoriously poor immune system, it’s partially what led to her leaving Ustros to join up with my mother and Queen Minoo’s group, Princess Najiyya decided to accept the burden of the meeting in Queen Kalia’s stead.  This was although she was with Prince Rifat’s child.”

“Oh gods, a pregnant woman?” Tawni gasped.  “She was one of the victims of the Widowing Massacre.”

“Alongside Queen Minoo of Cruibia, Queen Nakia of Rusnad, Queen Tabia of Upril, and my mother, Sultana Farah of Poswa.”

“Sorry for being insensitive, but… seriously, who kills an unarmed pregnant woman with no combat experience, and why?”

“I don’t know,” Sulaiman said.  “Not even Empress Chitra answered what exactly happened that night aboard her personal flagship.  But something happened, the Ustrosi Thieves Guild was involved, and the Orobian queens all died. When Father and the other Orobian kings demanded an answer, none came.  The kings then assumed the worst: the Empress deliberately lured Orobia’s queens into a trap, and killed them all to lower Orobia’s morale to make it easier to conquer us.  That began this war.”

“And then Captain Howe’s campaign started two years later, then three years after that, Princess Janiya’s campaign started, then yours started, and then mine, and we should all be caught up!” Tawni beamed.  The next thing the two knew, the background erupted when Howe was flung through it, courtesy of Janiya. The orange-haired princess walked through the crack, brushing a loose hair out of her face.

“…I think I’m done,” she said.

“...I rue the day I’d have to fight her,” Sulaiman said, looking at the now unconscious Howe.

“Alright, so what do we have left?” Yasmin asked while she came in with her Mend staff, and Lamia with one as well.

“I’m afraid we’ve already finished,” Tawni said.

“Well, that’s a shame,” Janiya pouted.  “Oh well. I guess we get ready for our next chapters of  _ Night of Tales,  _ then.  As well as figuring out what people want to hear more of.  Go ahead and in a private message or review or comment, suggest what topic we should tackle, next.  Whether it be orichalcum, astral plates, or the Fire Emblem itself! We’ll try to answer it to the best of our ability.”

“And we hope you enjoyed this chapter!” Tawni waved.  “Now, if you excuse us, Captain Howe has a very important… appointment at the local healer’s.”

“I’ll carry his legs,” Sulaiman sighed.  “Idris, can you get the pirate’s arms?”


	4. The Ustrosi Thieves Guild

##  ** The Ustrosi Thieves Guild **

    Tawni, Jamal, a chibi Kareem, a chibi Nasira, and a chibi Himli all frowned in discomfort as they were surrounded by chibi Ustrosi Thieves Guild criminals.  “So… is this it?” Himli asked them.  “We’re gonna die here?”

    “Not if I can help it,” Tawni replied.  “Now, where did I put the smoke bombs…”  She pulled out an astral plate.  “No.”  She then pulled out her reading glasses.  She then put them on.  “Cute, but not helping.”  She then pulled out Howe.

    “What sorcery!” Nasira breathed.  “You pulled a whole other lord from your pocket.”

    “And not the one I wanted,” Tawni frowned, putting him down.  “How did you get here, Captain?”

    “I met a dark mage named Tharja,” Howe said.  “Great body, but has a nasty curse hand.  Apparently can shrink ME down, and teleport me.  Thank the gods, too, because the spell was running out.”

    “Well, while you were in my pouch,” Tawni said, “you wouldn’t have happened upon a set of smoke bombs for escaping Ustrosi Thieves Guild thugs?”

    “Well, well, well,” a female voice called.  The Ustrosi Thieves Guild separated, revealing a chibi Sheba.  “Look what the little gypsy dragged in.”

    “Sheba?” Howe asked.

    “Oh gods,” Himli gasped.  Standing in front of Tawni, he said, “That’s the number two of the Thieves Guild!  I’ll protect ya from her, Miss Tawni!”

    “Aw, he’s so adorable and chivalrous!” Sheba chuckled.  “…How much for a lay?”

    “What?” Himli asked, his cheeks pink.

    “Himli, you’re cute,” Howe said.  “Orobian girls like that.  Run with it, you can support with every single girl of your campaign save for Akiba.”

    “…Wow,” Himli breathed.

    “O, haide! {Oh come on!}” Kareem complained.

    Jamal assured his older brother, “Relaxați-vă, frate. Veți avea șansa să continuați să vă urmăriți fuste {Relax, brother.  You'll get your chance to continue chasing skirts}.”

    “So, Howe,” Sheba smirked, walking forward.  Pointing to Tawni, she said, “Mawdood may want her, but to me, you are a FAR more worthwhile prize.  So, tell me why I should go for her and let you go?”

    “Captain Howe, don’t betray me like this!” Tawni pouted as he pondered.  “We did a whole lore thing together!”

    “…Lore thing?” Sheba asked, raising her hand.  “What lore thing?”

    “Oh, right,” Tawni giggled.  “Long story short, we, the protagonists of  _Night of Tales,_  have started to work together to inform our readers about the history, culture, species, and classes of Orobia.”

    “…Including the Ustrosi Thieves Guild?” Sheba asked.

    “We’ve touched on it, slightly,” Tawni confessed.  “Hey, what’s the likelihood that Prince Sulaiman is in my pocket?”

    “Only slightly?” Sheba frowned.  “No, no, no!  You have to dive full in, little gypsy!”

    “If we do, can you pretend that you never saw us to Mawdood?” Tawni asked.

    “Deal!” Sheba grinned.

    “Okay,” Tawni nodded, holding out her astral plate.  She then looked at Nasira and Node, and asked, “Could you ladies do me a favor and magically charge this?”

    “Of course!” Nasira beamed.  She then cast a spell on the astral plate, alongside Node, and it showed the image of Ustros.  “So, how do we start?”

    “Go to the founding of the guild,” Sheba requested.  “I’ll do the rest.”

** The First Edition of the Guild (3992-4014 ARI) **

    “So,” Tawni said, “if I remember, correctly, Ustros was founded after the destruction of Un Nasa, the capital of Ugurbuh.  It was during this founding Sizah ran amok for centuries before finally being defeated by Gargec and the first Cruibian King.”

    “Yes,” Sheba nodded.  “That all happened.  “I was born around this time.  Crazy bitch.”

    “Agreed,” Howe said.

    “Can you give me beauty tips, Miss Sheba?” Tawni asked.  “I kind of want to look as good as you when I’m older.”

    “Soy, milk, and nuts can fill out your bust size,” Sheba answered.  “Now, let’s get to the good stuff!”

    “If I remember Prince Sulaiman correctly,” Tawni recalled, “the Guild was formed as a response to Ustrosi corruption by someone named ‘Ali Baba’, correct?”

    “Ah, Ali Baba,” Sheba sighed.  “You never forget your first, ladies.”  All the ladies nodded.

    “First time?  First crush?  First what?” Howe asked.

    “First leader and first heist,” Sheba answered.  The image showed a young dark blue haired man dressed in the tattered clothes of a merchant.  “Ali Baba was a very good friend of mine.  He was a merchant who had fallen on some tough times, and Kasim was his older brother.  Back in the day, Ustros was corrupt to the core, and he was repeatedly slighted by the crooked nobles.  Of course, it’s better, now, but they have US to thank for that.  I was first coming from what’s now known as Xuhua when I met him.  For a human, he was damn smart, funny, and clever.”

    “Are you sure you and he didn’t have a romantic relationship?” Howe asked.

    “Oh, we did,” Sheba said, looking at an image of her younger self eagerly leaping into Ali Baba’s arms, kissing him before being backed against a wall.  She then was let go, proceeded to push him down, and then grabbed the bottom of her shirt before throwing it conveniently at the screen, blocking the view.  “By the way, he was amazing.”

    “I was kind of watching that,” Kareem frowned.

    “Kill him first if you decide to go back on your deal,” Nasira requested.

    “Hey!”

    “So, you guys were a thing?” Tawni said.

    “Only for a little bit,” Sheba replied.

    “What happened?”

    The astral plate then showed Ali Baba, a slightly older blue-haired man, Sheba, a pink-haired woman, and several others.  “We mutually cut it off when he met his wife, Morgiana.  Never blamed her, in fact, I think we had a threesome once, and those two together were a lot better and probably happier than what Ali Baba and I could ever be.  Anyway, after seeing several instances of corruption from the Ustrosi knights, the nobles, and even Ustros’ royal family, Ali Baba had enough.  He asked me, Kasim, and others to gather up a group of those who suffered.  We rounded up exactly 40 people for a job.  Think  _Ocean’s Eleven_ Arabian style and on steroids.”  The image then showed the three with thirty-six more people, all gathered around a table.  “It was a good plan, we worked on it for YEARS before we pulled it off.  By three, we weren’t getting caught.  By five, we had it down like clockwork.  Only one problem existed:  we needed a more permanent hideout.”  To emphasize this, the table they were gathered around had a stalactite fall into it.  “Yeah, luckily Ali Baba had a photographic memory, because our old hideouts sucked.”

    “Interesting,” Howe said, he and Tawni leaning in.  “So, where is this hideout?”

    “Not that your canon selves can do anything about it,” Sheba said, “but one time during his travels, Ali Baba casually stumbled upon the entrance to the ruins of Ugurbah’s capital, Un Nasa!”  She showed the ruined castle in the middle of a desert canyon.

    Tawni’s eyes lit up.  “Un Nasa!?”  She practically bounced.  “You mean the ruins exist and they’re intact!?  Where!?  Where!?”

    “You’re not going to know,” Sheba replied.  Tawni frowned.

    “It’s okay, Miss Tawni,” Himli assured her.  “You’re plenty smart.  I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”  Tawni smiled.

    “Thanks, Himli.”

    “It took a great deal of time to get figure out the ancient password that opened the gates,” Sheba explained, but once we did, we had the entire ancient city and its treasure to ourselves.  Anyone who wasn’t a manakete or a djinn could have retired right then and there.  But not Ali Baba… he still wanted to make a difference… and he had a specific prize in mind.  It was an expensive party.”  “We hit Tel Kibja, and robbed a lot of nobles blind.  Of course, they had more wealth, but they lost plenty.  But back then, Ali Baba cared about honor among thieves and wanted to even Ustrosi wealth out, giving plenty to the less fortunate, who needed it the most.  He of course kept one major piece of this legendary score:  a That is what separates him from Mawdood.”

    “…Well, holy shit,” Howe said.  “So, what made you a guild?”

    “We were a semi-organized group with rules,” Sheba grinned.  “We didn’t take from anyone who couldn’t afford to be taken from.  We operated only in Ustros or in my case Ustrosi waters.  We don’t kill innocents.  And we give a cut to those less fortunate.  It was a good operation he ran.  But Kasim didn’t like it.”  It then showed the brothers fighting each other.  “Kasim was greedy, ambitious, desiring far more power.  He was a preview of Mawdood, and what the guild would have become had Ali Baba not won the battle.  And had Morgiana not killed Kasim when he tried to stab Ali Baba in the back after Ali Baba refused to kill him.”  It showed Kasim dead on the ground, throat slit.  Sheba spat on his corpse.

    “That was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Jamal questioned.

    “Kasim was a horrible human being,” Sheba defended herself.  “But Ali Baba never forgave himself for letting him and his brother come to blows.  Orobia always seems to pit brothers against each other, doesn’t it?”

    “Yeah,” Jamal and Kareem said.

    “Hopefully, you two won’t try to murder each other,” Tawni said, hugging the two.  “So, what happened?”

    “Ali Baba’s human body couldn’t let him run the Guild forever,” Sheba said.  “He actually asked ME to run it, but I wasn’t interested.  Eventually, one of his apprentices took over, and he retired in peace.  You’d know him as ‘Aladdin’.”

    “Wait, Prince Sulaiman’s older brother!?” Howe asked.

    “No,” a chibi Aladdin answered, coming in.  “Aladdin is a common Orobian name.”

    “Crown Prince Aladdin?” Tawni asked, doing a curtsy while Himli knelt.  “What are you doing here?  Are you here to help me and Captain Howe run our codex piece this chapter?”

    “No,” Aladdin said.  “I just wanted to clear up that issue that I’m NOT the Aladdin who became the second leader of the Thieves Guild.  Now, I better get back to my business.  Take care, Miss Tawni.”  He then turned around… only to be glomped by a giant blue chibi Marid.  “Robin, why are you here!?”

    “Oh come on, Al, at least for a little bit!” Robin grinned.  “We have some time to kill!”

    “…Fine,” Aladdin said.  “Everyone, this is Robin Williams, not related at all to the Robin from  _Awakening,_ named after the voice actor of the Genie of the Lamp from the Disney movie based off the story that I was named after.  I helped unbind him… it wasn’t easy.”

    “And now, I just hang out and visit from time to time!” Robin said.  Turning to Tawni, looking like a stylist, he said, “And you must be Tawni.  Love your hair, girl!  What shampoo do you use?”

    “Um, like a bottle of strawberry-banana yogurt shampoo?” Tawni said with a blush.  Everyone but Nasira, Robin, Node, and Sheba looked at her with an eyebrow raised.  “Do you guys know how hard it is to manage long, thick hair like mine?  I need an entire bottle of shampoo and conditioner every time I wash it!  And I like strawberries and bananas!”

    “Fruit does help prevent scurvy,” Howe agreed.

    “Okay, where were we?” Aladdin said, summoning a few chairs.  “Something about the Thieves Guild Aladdin?”

    “Yeah, that was it,” Robin said, holding a bowl of popcorn.  He and Aladdin each ate some.  “Anyone want any?”

    “Heck yeah!” a chibi Node beamed as she came in, grabbing a handful.  The three djinn each ate their popcorn.

    “So djinn like popcorn?” Howe asked.

** The Legacy of Thief King Aladdin (4014-4043 ARI) **

    “The second leader of the Thieves Guild had quite the legacy to live up to after the death of Ali Baba,” Sheba said, looking at Ali Baba’s funeral pyre.  “Aladdin had to plan out and execute heists almost on par, if not greater, than the jobs done by Ali Baba.  A lot of the members of the Thieves Guild were already worried that without Ali Baba running the operations, we’d have no real point in staying together.  But Aladdin pressed on, determined to prove that he was chosen for a reason.”

    “And press on he did,” Aladdin said.  “If I remember my history, correctly, his first big job took him across the continent… to House Gerges.”

    “Gerges?” Howe asked.  “Isn’t that the last name of Prince Sulaiman’s purple-haired retainer who, like Princess Janiya’s sister, was a fangirl of Rerci?”  The astral plate showed the purple owl symbol of House Gerges.  “What was her name again?  Lamia?”

    “She is Lamia, yes,” Aladdin said.

    “Doesn’t she also have a crush on your brother?” Howe questioned.

    “It’s obvious to even HIM, but he doesn’t say anything because he’s been in love with Princess Yasmin since they were children and he feels that he doesn’t really deserve her.”

    “But can’t you have royals have harems?” Robin pointed out.

    “Some do, but Father really loved Mother too much to consider a second wife,” Aladdin confessed.

    “So why was House Gerges a target?” Howe questioned.

    “That was easy,” Aladdin said.  “Even though it’s been LONG considered water under the bridge, not too many people, especially the Ustrosi, forgave House Gerges’ impulsive and violent action that not only brought about the fall of the kingdom of Ugurbuh, but the return of Sizah in full force.”

    “Oh right, that crazy genie bitch from Princess Janiya’s story,” Howe said, showing images from the Era of Sizah.  “So these guys held a grudge at least… 500 years old?”

    “People had to grow up, live, and SURVIVE for almost half a millennium with a dangerous genie rampaging throughout Orobia after the fall of the most powerful human kingdom on our continent,” Aladdin said.  “I know several people in the north who would see a Poswa run by House Gerges DESTROYED because of Un Nasa’s destruction and the fall of Ugurbuh.”

    “In the defense of House Gerges,” Robin said, “that could have been avoided had Sultan Shabaan taken ‘no’ for an answer.”

    “Well, Ustros didn’t really CARE that Shabaan kidnapped Sultana Anbara’s wife,” Sheba argued.  “They just remembered that a Gerges woman destroyed Un Nasa, broke Ugurbuh in half, and let loose Sizah’s wrath.  Ustrosi wanted retribution for CENTURIES, but was only stopped because Poswa was very strong, and a war was unwinnable.  However, the Thieves Guild?  Aladdin wanted to spread the guild’s influence outside of Ustros.  It was ambitious, to say the least.  We went after House Gerges, stealing quite a bit of money, and replacing the owl flag of House Gerges with our own flag.”  She then showed a large green flag with a red right hand holding golden coins.

    “Oh I get it!” Robin smirked.  “You guys were ‘caught red handed’!  Weren’t they, Al?”

    “Yes, Robin, they were,” Aladdin said.  “Very funny.”

    “I loved that symbol,” Sheba said.  “Too bad that flag’s gone, now.”  She then said, “So, the point here is that we proved to the entire continent of Orobia that no target was too big for us.”

    “Well, yes, this was your first big cross-continental job,” Kareem said.  “So, what made you guys go from simple huge phantom thieves to including assassinations, slavers, pirates, brigands, and all other kinds of bad sorts?”

    “Serios, frate {Really, brother}?” Jamal questioned.

    “You know, I was going to say that,” Howe admitted.

    “Well,” Tawni sighed, “this is going to require a lot of skipping ahead, isn’t it?”

    “It will,” Sheba said, “but I’m not exactly done with remembering Aladdin, just yet.  After the Gerges heist, we spread our plans throughout Orobia, stealing from the nobles, the soldiers, and even the dragon tribes of western Orobia and the djinn villages of eastern Orobia.  We were set for nearly three decades of doing this.  However, one incident kind of nearly doomed us.”

    “What?” Tawni asked.

    “We led Gargec right to our hideout.”

    The group watched as a chibi, cloaked manakete Gargec, next to a chibi genie wearing a cloak, hiding in an emptied oil jar, smuggled themselves into one of the Thieves Guild’s jobs, and with it, Un Nasa.  Once it hit nightfall, a NOT so chibi dragon Gargec burst out and proceeded to wreck the Thieves Guild’s evening, the genie turning into a bat.  Come sunrise, His then chibi self walked out of the now wrecked Un Nasa, with the Fire Emblem fragment that the Thieves Guild stole back during Ali Baba’s day alongside the genie, ignoring the battered and bruised Thieves Guild members littering the landscape.  He gave the genie woman a hug before giving her the fragment, and she flew away while Gargec, pulled out a pair of sunglasses and ear protection before putting them on.

    He then proceeded to walk away from the fortress, where something fell and exploded behind Him.  Of course, Gargec was completely fine from the fire because He was a magma manakete and as such fire barely fazed Him, and the ear protection helped dim the damage done by the noise of the explosion.  But you, person reading this codex entry, should NOT imitate Gargec by capping off a rampage and/or heist by walking away from your carnage in slow motion as something blows up behind you and you should, when knowingly causing something to blow up, wear appropriate safety equipment.  The odds are high that you’re not a magma manakete, and as such, you’re not fireproof enough to survive the explosion on your own power, and even Gargec Himself had to deal with minor hearing damage.  Luckily, He’s long lived.

    Tawni, Kareem, Node, and Robin, the last one wearing a jumpsuit of glittery rhinestone, then began singing,

     _“Oamenii răi nu se uită la explozii,  
    _ _Ei aruncă lucrurile și apoi pleacă.  
    _ _Cine are timp să privească o explozie?  
    _ _Sunt niște porți bune pentru care trebuie să meargă_

     _{Cool guys don’t look at explosions,  
    _ _They blow things up and then walk away.  
    _ _Who’s got time to watch an explosion?  
    _ _There’s cool guy errands that they have to walk to}….”_

    Everyone else looked at them.  “Come on, Al, that was awesome!”

    “Yeah, I must admit, it’s kind of an honor to get our asses kicked by Gargec and His friend… and LIVE,” Sheba said, taking a drink.  “Of course, MY Aladdin felt ashamed that he let Gargec discover where we were and effectively destroyed our base because we got too lax with security and double-checking what we stole in our high.  So, during the last few years of his tenure as our leader, Aladdin improved Un Nasa into the fortress that it is today.”

    “So when we inevitably storm the Thieves Guild’s headquarters over the course of several chapters,” Howe concluded, “we’ll have the guy who shares your name to thank for all of the hell it will be, Prince Aladdin.”

    “Yes, you will, pirate,” Aladdin replied.

** After Aladdin and Before Cassim (4044-4921 ARI) **

    “Wait, who’s Cassim?” Howe asked, looking above.

    “I can answer that!” Tawni beamed.  “In my supports with my father, we talk about his mentor, Cassim!  He was a member of the Ustrosi Thieves Guild who inspired my clan’s ‘Robin Hood’ approach when he came with his clan to Orobia from Argelia!”

    “You’re all Argelian?” Howe asked.  “Don’t tell Princess Janiya, she’ll wreck your shit.”

    “I’m a mix of Argelian, Romani, and Rusnadi,” Tawni said.

    “We’re Argelian, Romani, and Crubian,” Jamal and Kareem added.

    “I’m Poswali,” Himli said.

    “Dobi, Arya, and I are Uprilian,” Node added.

    “And I’m Nohrian,” Nasira finished.  “Are we done?  Okay.  So what was this about Cassim?”

    “He was my Father’s mentor,” Tawni said.  “So yeah, taught Father a lot of what he knows.”

    “I knew Cassim,” Sheba confessed.  “Great kid, rose to the ranks, traditionalist values.  We’ll talk about him, later.”

    “So what happened once Aladdin decided to hang up his thief cap?” Howe questioned.

    “After Aladdin retired,” Sheba said, “we got a new leader, and kept drumming along.  Eventually, however, one of our leaders, appropriately Thief King Sinbad, was growing concerned that we weren’t making enough of a profit… so he turned to me.  Knowing my status as half water manakete, he asked me to take to the seas.  I started my career as a full-on pirate.”  The astral plate showed her aboard a ship, and setting sail.  “Of course, with the influx of people coming from the Outrealms and deciding to journey to form Xuhua, I had plenty of marks to go after.”

    “Oh, yeah, Xuhua was founded during that time skip,” Himli said.  “Well, about all of the other things?”

    “Oh, that,” Sheba said.  “Well, to be fair, the slave trade was a far more recent thing… Mawdood.  I personally don’t like it, it sets us back before Ali Baba, really.”  She then said, “But assassinations started much earlier than Mawdood.  It was quite common for Romani to also be paid to be assassins.  However, we had much stricter standards than we do, today.  Back then, Thief Queen Paribanon made it clear we only go after the corrupt, the irredeemable, the pure evil… people who deserved death.  We scouted them for weeks, bordering months at times to make sure.”

    “You know, I just realized, a lot of the Thieves Guild leaders, with the exceptions of Mawdood, have names related to  _The Arabian Nights,”_ Tawni said.

    “Yeah, I realize that now, too,” Sheba agreed.  “I think it was because we didn’t want to be TOO much copyrighting  _The Arabian Nights,_ even though we could probably have the names and similar roles fit.  I mean, the Big Good of an ANCIENT prequel to  _Night of Tales_ would be  _Night of Kings_ starring Shahryar and his quest to build Ugurbuh, and there would be a Scheherazade as his queen.”

    “Seriously, you all, stop advertising potential prequel ideas,” Howe frowned.   _“Night of Hearts,_ now this idea?”

    “So,” Nasira said, “we know several leaders of your Thieves Guild.  But we have fought far more than 40 members during our intriguing campaign.  So do you all recruit quickly, or what sorcery keeps your guild stocked with villains?”

    “Oh, the concept of 40 members was changed with Thief King Iago to 39 lieutenants and one leader,” Sheba answered.

    “Iago!?” Nasira questioned.  Showing a chibi  _Fates_ Iago, she questioned, “The twisted sorcerer and right hand of King Garon who is killed by Prince Leo of Nohr in every route of  _Fates?”_

    “No, different Iago,” Sheba answered, showing chibi Leo from  _Fates_ riding up and killing that Iago with Brynhildr.  “Again, it’s surprising how similar names are in the multiverse… I think there’s a Leo in Argelia.”

    “Oh, so not me?” the Leo on the astral plate asked.

    “Sorry for dragging you into this, Prince Leo,” Tawni waved.  “We seem to be dragging a LOT of you guys into this throughout the multiverse.”

    “Okay, see you later,” Leo said, riding away.

    “…Was his collar inside-out?” Aladdin asked.

    “I didn’t want to be rude,” Robin said, wearing a pair of glasses, now.  Tawni noticed her reading glasses were no longer on her face.

    “Hey!” she frowned, trying to reach the genie.  “Curse my tiny form!”

    “Anyway, we had a lot of ups and downs,” Sheba said.  “And now, Cassim.”

** Thief King Cassim (4921-4964 ARI) **

    “As I said before, Cassim didn’t start at the top,” Sheba said, showing a black haired, olive-skinned young boy with a pair of faded irises, playing a flute like Tawni’s father’s.  He was approached by a woman with short green hair, wearing the clothes of a trickster.  “He was a young boy who lost his clan of Romani, and his eyesight in an accident.  Our old Thief Queen, Dunyazade, had a very big heart, something I often teased her.  Well, it made up for the fact that she couldn’t have children.  However, she found Cassim one day on her way back to the hideout, playing his flute for money.  Taking pity on him, instead of just throwing some coins in his bag, she adopted him right then and there.”  The woman then leaned down, picked up the boy’s money, placed it in his surprised hands, then picked up the boy, and threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing while the whole crowd stood confused.

    Tawni gushed, “Aw, that’s how I’d totally adopt a child!”

    “Ya do realize that was borderline kidnapping to train him into becoming a thief, right?” Himli questioned.

    “And I’m not already a thief?” Tawni questioned.  “And besides, Himli, it was probably for the best.  A blind Romani six-year-old wouldn’t have lasted too long on his own in Upril’s streets.”

    “I sadly can vouch for that,” Robin confessed.  “Orphanages in Upril weren’t the best when I had to grant wishes, there, during that time.”

    “That’s dark,” Howe said.

    “So,” Aladdin said, “Cassim found a new home in the Thieves Guild.  I heard Mawdood conscripted a great deal of his lieutenants, but some have joined willingly.”

    “Well, every leader recruits differently,” Sheba shrugged.  “Dunya took in orphans.  She didn’t put them into dangerous jobs right away, though.  She made them start small, doing some pickpocketing on the side or, in Cassim’s case, distract the crowd with his hustle while SHE did the pickpocketing.”  It showed Cassim performing a cup shuffling game, where people tried to guess.  They were so impressed by the blind teen’s quick, fluid movements, they didn’t even notice Dunyazade casually walking by, sneaking her hands all through their valuables, and then walking away several thousand gold richer.

    “Of course, that wasn’t to say that she didn’t train him,” Tawni said.  “Otherwise, how would he have trained my father?”

    “You catch on quickly, little gypsy,” Sheba said.  The image showed a young adult Cassim, now wearing the hooded cloak of a robe and a mask, sneaking into a party, and then making off with a painting.  “Turns out, in order to make up for his one failed sense, his other senses picked up the slack several times over.  He was able to better hear conversations, could smell what and where things were, had a sharper taste, and could feel where things were in comparison to his current location.  Dunyazade was so proud of her son.  If only if she could have seen him become the Thief King.”

    “What happened?” Howe asked.

    “Dunyazade’s status as a lover of children was found out via a leak in the Guild,” Sheba answered, showing an image of Dunyazade sneaking into a room full of scared children.  When she was undoing the lock, light shined on her.  “So some corrupt nobles set a trap for her, and gave her a sadistic choice:  surrender and submit herself to execution, or watch as the children be slaughtered in her stead.”

    Tawni gasped in horror at the new image, and everyone else but Aladdin, Howe, and Sheba at least flinched.  Dunyazade was hanged, but that wasn’t the worst part.  No, the worse part was all of the scared children, save for a couple (who got away), were hanging WITH her, and the nobles all laughed.

    “Acei monștri fără inimă ... nici măcar nu au onorat afacerea {Those heartless monsters... they didn't even honor the deal},” Jamal spat.

    “They killed… all of them,” Nasira breathed, tears running down her face.  “Why!?”

    “While a couple did get away, those Ustrosi nobles were sick people prior to the rise of the Valkyries, giving even the worst nobles of modern day Poswa some pause,” Aladdin said, walking forward.  “Not even Duke Zahar Botros, who I’m almost certain tried to poison my little brother as a CHILD, would have murdered a group of children for entertainment.  He would have murdered ONE to serve his twisted belief that he’s defending Poswa from an internal threat.”

    “That’s still messed up…!” Kareem scowled.  “If I could travel back in time…!”

    “No need,” Sheba said.  “Cassim did not take too kindly to the death of his stepmother, let alone the slaughter of a group of orphans who had ‘served their purpose’.”  The image then showed the group of nobles who were feasting when one of them started choking and then coughing up blood.  She then fell dead, while Cassim loomed behind her, playing his flute.  He then lowered the flute, and scowled.

    “Ladies, gentlemen… you’ve eaten well.  You’ve eaten atop the bodies of the innocent of Nourdari’s poor and destitute souls,” Cassim said while another person choked and died.  “You’ve eaten the spirit of Nourdari, the glory of it.”  A third feaster chose this moment to drop dead, but that was the last one.  “But you made a great and fatal err in your revelry:  you made it very clear WHERE you celebrate your bloody victories.  Your feast is over.”  Cassim tapped on his flute, which signaled the lights to go out… before turning back on, revealing Cassim was NOT alone.  Sheba and the other 38 lieutenants were there.  “Prin jertfa lui Dunyazade am fost de acord să nu mă răzbun. Dar dezonoarea ta de acordul ei și spargerea nesăbuită a sângelui mă cheamă acum să fac același lucru. Ține minte: ți-a dat o șansă {It was by Dunyazade's sacrifice that I agreed to not take revenge.  But your dishonor of her accord and reckless spilling of blood now calls for me to do the same.  Remember:  she gave you a chance}.”  With that, the light turned out as he drew a dagger that gleamed.  “From this moment on, none of you are safe.”  When a flash of lightning occurred, the room was now full of dead nobles, and the Thieves Guild disappeared.

    “Damn,” Howe breathed.

    “The best part about that was that several of those lieutenants were saved by Dunya, too,” Sheba said.  “But with that, a new Thief King was born.  See, Howe?  You may be the one who took down Nourdari, but we showed it could be done.  And for good measure, we stole all of that mansion’s wealth, and gave it to the orphanages… AFTER shaking them down and making sure the people running them NEVER let something like this happen ever again.”

    “Putting the fear of Gargec into them to not let anything happen to innocent kids,” Aladdin observed.  “Clever fear tactic.”

    “Um, Your Majesty,” Himli questioned, “I know they were all horrible people, but that’s also pretty brutal what the Thieves Guild did.  What about the families of the corrupt nobles?  Did they get massacred by the Thieves Guild, too?”

    “No,” Aladdin said.  “They didn’t, but their family names WERE forever ruined when the scandal was revealed by the Thieves Guild to the public.  But there is one major thing that came from this.”  He then showed Kalia back in her prime.  “A couple of those escaped orphans fell in love with each other for comfort… and from this, Queen Kalia was born.”

    “Aw….!” Tawni gushed.

    “You are adorable,” Aladdin said.

    Sheba continued, “After our famous Nourdari job, the Thieves Guild got a sweet and sour reputation as full-fledged vigilantes and murderers.  But Cassim didn’t care.  Instead, he wanted to make it clear to the whole world again that the Thieves Guild stands against TRUE evil.  And for the longest time, we did.  Sure, we indulged in our vices at times, but until Mawdood turned the Guild into the massive army you’ve seen and fought, we were only feared by the truly corrupt or those in power.  Not the innocents.  Cassim actually even planned to go to Rusnad and assassinate the Pharaoh when he heard that he had House Adio sacked and destroyed… only stopped when he heard Guaril was in the area.  He always did have a soft spot for Guaril.”

    “So, what about my Father?” Tawni asked.  “What about him and Cassim?”

    “Cassim met your father, alright,” Sheba said as she showed an image of a young Guaril looking up at an old Cassim.  “Your father was his unofficial apprentice.”  Cassim taught him how to climb, how to move through a crowd.  But he then, one day, handed Guaril something… his signature flute.  “He gave Guaril that flute he loved.  Had Cassim had his way, he would have made Guaril his apprentice and had him be a part of the Thieves Guild.  But the Dighton clan moved on, and Cassim eventually retired, allowing Thief King Ali Shar to take his place.”

    “So that’s why the rom baro loves music!” Jamal gasped.  “So Cassim taught him how to play?”

    “Taught him a few songs, if I heard,” Tawni breathed.  “I’ve been learning them….”

** The Calm Before Mawdood (4965-4979 ARI) **

    “Oh gods, we have one more time after this one,” Himli breathed.  “And it’s Mawdood!”

    “Well, yeah, Mawdood will show up,” Sheba said.  “But after Cassim passed away, we decided to stay in Ustros for a little while, lay low.  In fact, if it wasn’t for Aseel’s War, we probably would have eventually disbanded.  Thankfully, the war happened, and we decided to get somewhat involved… by stealing things in the chaos.”

    “I do NOT blame you,” Howe admitted.

    “Aseel actually tried to bribe us to kill both young King Darius and Sultan Mecca, too,” Sheba admitted.  “Mecca, Prince Aladdin, you know why:  Aseel didn’t want anyone getting the throne except for him.  Darius, however, Aseel didn’t like how his brother left his work half-finished.  We didn’t take the offer, of course.”

    “Good,” Aladdin said.  “I would have had to destroy you out of revenge for trying to kill my father.”

    “But some time after the war,” Sheba said, “we found a young man with a stump where his right hand should be, and a missing left eye that had been freshly gouged out.  Ali Shar made a fatal mistake the day he picked up the dying young man:  not putting him out of his misery.”

    “Mawdood,” Tawni scowled.  “My father’s nemesis.”

** Mawdood, the Newest King of Thieves (4980-4999 ARI) **

    “All I know about Mawdood’s real past is that he was apparently a Romani who had a bad encounter with Guaril, resulting in him losing his hand, and his eye was stabbed by a child he had tried molding into an assassin,” Sheba explained.

    “I think I heard of the assassin child,” Aladdin said.  Showing a picture of a brown-clad figure wearing clothes too thick to tell if they were a man or woman and wearing a mask in the shape of a scropion, Aladdin explained, “Rumors claim that they grew up into becoming Aleaqarab.  No one can tell if they are a man or a woman, but they’re one of the deadliest assassins outside of the Thieves Guild in all of Orobia.”

    Sheba continued, showing Mawdood, fresh out of surgery, getting used to having a hand, again, “Well, Mawdood, after being given a new hand, was sworn into the Guild.  However, he was ambitious.”  The image showed Mawdood standing in front of a map of Orobia, where he stabbed Ustros with a dagger before pointing at Upril, then Poswa, then Cruibia, and then Rusnad, “He started making demands and had outlandish plans and goals.  He wanted to turn the Thieves Guild into a genuine army, breaking out the worst of the worst scum in prisons, enlisting them, and turning them against the people of Orobia.  He wanted to be a big shot… having discovered he wanted the Fire Emblem to release Rerci to alter reality, I realize he had delusions of godhood back then.  But he wasn’t taken too seriously, being only a grunt.  When he tried to raise his voice a time too many for Ali Shar’s liking, however….”

    Mawdood’s throat was then grabbed by Ali Shar, who lifted him up and then slammed him to the ground.  When Mawdood tried to get up, Ali Shar planted him onto the ground with a boot.  He then revealed his genie heritage by activating magic and summoning an axe, holding the blade to Mawdood’s throat with enough force to draw blood.  He then desummoned the axe, and pointed him to go back to his room.

    “He’d shut him up.”

    “Why didn’t he just kill Mawdood, again?” Kareem asked.  “It would have saved us all so much headache.”

    “Again, we thought he was a grunt,” Sheba said.  “But I suppose underestimating how far his vision and resolve went worked for him.  If we actually took him seriously, I don’t think Ali Shar would have stopped with the implied threat.  But I also blame myself for his rise, too.”  She turned away, while it showed her sailing the seas.  “While I was out and Ali Shar was busy dealing with business, Mawdood made his move.”

    With a flash, the astral plate showed Mawdood killing several lieutenants, but alongside him was a young man with a huge sword, the bandit twins Viva and Vova, and a templar.  When Sheba came back, she found Un Nasa littered with dead lieutenants, and Ali Shar without his head, but Mawdood slouching on the throne, his clothes stained with blood and sipping out of a cup.  He then held out a flame sword that unleashed a ball of flame that melted Ali Shar’s axe.  He looked at Sheba, who scowled at him.  However, she felt a wyrmslayer at her back, and saw the dragon axes.  Her choice of bowing or dying was clear.  She crossed her arms, and bowed, but kept her scowl.

    “I didn’t like it,” Sheba confessed, “but Mawdood was now the Thief King.  And with the title, he’s run the Guild’s good reputation into the mud, such as that brazen infiltration into Tanuhah where they tried to kidnap Princess Yasmin of Cruibia, and later, participating in the Widowing Massacre.  Nowadays, we have to worry about infighting, and Viva and Vova’s incompetence, and ruthless dastards like Inigo and Reitz mucking things up.”

    “Wait, Inigo?” Tawni asked.  “The dancer son of Olivia from  _Awakening_  who became Laslow in  _Fates?”_   She then showed Laslow from those two games.

    “Different Inigo,” Sheba replied.

    “Hello there!” Laslow greeted Tawni.  “Aren’t you the lovely desert rose?  Perhaps we can get to know each other over a cup of tea!”

    “Hey, flirt with your own girls from those two games!” Kareem frowned, holding Tawni.  “I’m the cassanova in  _Night of Tales!”_   Laslow frowned, but retreated.  Something then fell out of Tawni’s pocket.

    “Hey, one of my smoke bombs!” Tawni beamed.  “Just in time, too.”  As the smoke bomb went off, she called to the crowd, “See you all, later, people!  Comment on what topic you want us to cover!”  When the smoke cleared, the Dighton clan had all vanished, leaving Aladdin, Robin, Howe, and Sheba plus her Thieves Guild.

    “Robin, I think we should leave, now,” Aladdin said.  Robin nodded, and summoned a magic carpet.  He and Aladdin got on it.

    “Take care, ladies and gentlemen!” Robin smirked.  “I’ll see you in  _Night of Tales_  if not here in  _Night of Lore!”_   He then flew off with Aladdin.  Howe then realized just how screwed he was.

    “So, I DID help, all things considered,” Aladdin said.  “So, can I leave or…?”

    “You have a ten-second head start,” Sheba said.

    “Running, now!” Howe said.  Sheba then waited exactly ten seconds while Howe started running.

    When she was through, she held up her dragonstone, melting into water before turning into a giant water dragon.   **“Get him!”**   She and the Thieves Guild then rushed after Howe. 


	5. The Ustrosi Thieves Guild

##  ** The Ustrosi Thieves Guild **

    Tawni, Jamal, a chibi Kareem, a chibi Nasira, and a chibi Himli all frowned in discomfort as they were surrounded by chibi Ustrosi Thieves Guild criminals.  “So… is this it?” Himli asked them.  “We’re gonna die here?”

    “Not if I can help it,” Tawni replied.  “Now, where did I put the smoke bombs…”  She pulled out an astral plate.  “No.”  She then pulled out her reading glasses.  She then put them on.  “Cute, but not helping.”  She then pulled out Howe.

    “What sorcery!” Nasira breathed.  “You pulled a whole other lord from your pocket.”

    “And not the one I wanted,” Tawni frowned, putting him down.  “How did you get here, Captain?”

    “I met a dark mage named Tharja,” Howe said.  “Great body, but has a nasty curse hand.  Apparently can shrink ME down, and teleport me.  Thank the gods, too, because the spell was running out.”

    “Well, while you were in my pouch,” Tawni said, “you wouldn’t have happened upon a set of smoke bombs for escaping Ustrosi Thieves Guild thugs?”

    “Well, well, well,” a female voice called.  The Ustrosi Thieves Guild separated, revealing a chibi Sheba.  “Look what the little gypsy dragged in.”

    “Sheba?” Howe asked.

    “Oh gods,” Himli gasped.  Standing in front of Tawni, he said, “That’s the number two of the Thieves Guild!  I’ll protect ya from her, Miss Tawni!”

    “Aw, he’s so adorable and chivalrous!” Sheba chuckled.  “…How much for a lay?”

    “What?” Himli asked, his cheeks pink.

    “Himli, you’re cute,” Howe said.  “Orobian girls like that.  Run with it, you can support with every single girl of your campaign save for Akiba.”

    “…Wow,” Himli breathed.

    “O, haide! {Oh come on!}” Kareem complained.

    Jamal assured his older brother, “Relaxați-vă, frate. Veți avea șansa să continuați să vă urmăriți fuste {Relax, brother.  You'll get your chance to continue chasing skirts}.”

    “So, Howe,” Sheba smirked, walking forward.  Pointing to Tawni, she said, “Mawdood may want her, but to me, you are a FAR more worthwhile prize.  So, tell me why I should go for her and let you go?”

    “Captain Howe, don’t betray me like this!” Tawni pouted as he pondered.  “We did a whole lore thing together!”

    “…Lore thing?” Sheba asked, raising her hand.  “What lore thing?”

    “Oh, right,” Tawni giggled.  “Long story short, we, the protagonists of  _Night of Tales,_  have started to work together to inform our readers about the history, culture, species, and classes of Orobia.”

    “…Including the Ustrosi Thieves Guild?” Sheba asked.

    “We’ve touched on it, slightly,” Tawni confessed.  “Hey, what’s the likelihood that Prince Sulaiman is in my pocket?”

    “Only slightly?” Sheba frowned.  “No, no, no!  You have to dive full in, little gypsy!”

    “If we do, can you pretend that you never saw us to Mawdood?” Tawni asked.

    “Deal!” Sheba grinned.

    “Okay,” Tawni nodded, holding out her astral plate.  She then looked at Nasira and Node, and asked, “Could you ladies do me a favor and magically charge this?”

    “Of course!” Nasira beamed.  She then cast a spell on the astral plate, alongside Node, and it showed the image of Ustros.  “So, how do we start?”

    “Go to the founding of the guild,” Sheba requested.  “I’ll do the rest.”

** The First Edition of the Guild (3992-4014 ARI) **

    “So,” Tawni said, “if I remember, correctly, Ustros was founded after the destruction of Un Nasa, the capital of Ugurbuh.  It was during this founding Sizah ran amok for centuries before finally being defeated by Gargec and the first Cruibian King.”

    “Yes,” Sheba nodded.  “That all happened.  “I was born around this time.  Crazy bitch.”

    “Agreed,” Howe said.

    “Can you give me beauty tips, Miss Sheba?” Tawni asked.  “I kind of want to look as good as you when I’m older.”

    “Soy, milk, and nuts can fill out your bust size,” Sheba answered.  “Now, let’s get to the good stuff!”

    “If I remember Prince Sulaiman correctly,” Tawni recalled, “the Guild was formed as a response to Ustrosi corruption by someone named ‘Ali Baba’, correct?”

    “Ah, Ali Baba,” Sheba sighed.  “You never forget your first, ladies.”  All the ladies nodded.

    “First time?  First crush?  First what?” Howe asked.

    “First leader and first heist,” Sheba answered.  The image showed a young dark blue haired man dressed in the tattered clothes of a merchant.  “Ali Baba was a very good friend of mine.  He was a merchant who had fallen on some tough times, and Kasim was his older brother.  Back in the day, Ustros was corrupt to the core, and he was repeatedly slighted by the crooked nobles.  Of course, it’s better, now, but they have US to thank for that.  I was first coming from what’s now known as Xuhua when I met him.  For a human, he was damn smart, funny, and clever.”

    “Are you sure you and he didn’t have a romantic relationship?” Howe asked.

    “Oh, we did,” Sheba said, looking at an image of her younger self eagerly leaping into Ali Baba’s arms, kissing him before being backed against a wall.  She then was let go, proceeded to push him down, and then grabbed the bottom of her shirt before throwing it conveniently at the screen, blocking the view.  “By the way, he was amazing.”

    “I was kind of watching that,” Kareem frowned.

    “Kill him first if you decide to go back on your deal,” Nasira requested.

    “Hey!”

    “So, you guys were a thing?” Tawni said.

    “Only for a little bit,” Sheba replied.

    “What happened?”

    The astral plate then showed Ali Baba, a slightly older blue-haired man, Sheba, a pink-haired woman, and several others.  “We mutually cut it off when he met his wife, Morgiana.  Never blamed her, in fact, I think we had a threesome once, and those two together were a lot better and probably happier than what Ali Baba and I could ever be.  Anyway, after seeing several instances of corruption from the Ustrosi knights, the nobles, and even Ustros’ royal family, Ali Baba had enough.  He asked me, Kasim, and others to gather up a group of those who suffered.  We rounded up exactly 40 people for a job.  Think  _Ocean’s Eleven_ Arabian style and on steroids.”  The image then showed the three with thirty-six more people, all gathered around a table.  “It was a good plan, we worked on it for YEARS before we pulled it off.  By three, we weren’t getting caught.  By five, we had it down like clockwork.  Only one problem existed:  we needed a more permanent hideout.”  To emphasize this, the table they were gathered around had a stalactite fall into it.  “Yeah, luckily Ali Baba had a photographic memory, because our old hideouts sucked.”

    “Interesting,” Howe said, he and Tawni leaning in.  “So, where is this hideout?”

    “Not that your canon selves can do anything about it,” Sheba said, “but one time during his travels, Ali Baba casually stumbled upon the entrance to the ruins of Ugurbah’s capital, Un Nasa!”  She showed the ruined castle in the middle of a desert canyon.

    Tawni’s eyes lit up.  “Un Nasa!?”  She practically bounced.  “You mean the ruins exist and they’re intact!?  Where!?  Where!?”

    “You’re not going to know,” Sheba replied.  Tawni frowned.

    “It’s okay, Miss Tawni,” Himli assured her.  “You’re plenty smart.  I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”  Tawni smiled.

    “Thanks, Himli.”

    “It took a great deal of time to get figure out the ancient password that opened the gates,” Sheba explained, but once we did, we had the entire ancient city and its treasure to ourselves.  Anyone who wasn’t a manakete or a djinn could have retired right then and there.  But not Ali Baba… he still wanted to make a difference… and he had a specific prize in mind.  It was an expensive party.”  “We hit Tel Kibja, and robbed a lot of nobles blind.  Of course, they had more wealth, but they lost plenty.  But back then, Ali Baba cared about honor among thieves and wanted to even Ustrosi wealth out, giving plenty to the less fortunate, who needed it the most.  He of course kept one major piece of this legendary score:  a That is what separates him from Mawdood.”

    “…Well, holy shit,” Howe said.  “So, what made you a guild?”

    “We were a semi-organized group with rules,” Sheba grinned.  “We didn’t take from anyone who couldn’t afford to be taken from.  We operated only in Ustros or in my case Ustrosi waters.  We don’t kill innocents.  And we give a cut to those less fortunate.  It was a good operation he ran.  But Kasim didn’t like it.”  It then showed the brothers fighting each other.  “Kasim was greedy, ambitious, desiring far more power.  He was a preview of Mawdood, and what the guild would have become had Ali Baba not won the battle.  And had Morgiana not killed Kasim when he tried to stab Ali Baba in the back after Ali Baba refused to kill him.”  It showed Kasim dead on the ground, throat slit.  Sheba spat on his corpse.

    “That was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Jamal questioned.

    “Kasim was a horrible human being,” Sheba defended herself.  “But Ali Baba never forgave himself for letting him and his brother come to blows.  Orobia always seems to pit brothers against each other, doesn’t it?”

    “Yeah,” Jamal and Kareem said.

    “Hopefully, you two won’t try to murder each other,” Tawni said, hugging the two.  “So, what happened?”

    “Ali Baba’s human body couldn’t let him run the Guild forever,” Sheba said.  “He actually asked ME to run it, but I wasn’t interested.  Eventually, one of his apprentices took over, and he retired in peace.  You’d know him as ‘Aladdin’.”

    “Wait, Prince Sulaiman’s older brother!?” Howe asked.

    “No,” a chibi Aladdin answered, coming in.  “Aladdin is a common Orobian name.”

    “Crown Prince Aladdin?” Tawni asked, doing a curtsy while Himli knelt.  “What are you doing here?  Are you here to help me and Captain Howe run our codex piece this chapter?”

    “No,” Aladdin said.  “I just wanted to clear up that issue that I’m NOT the Aladdin who became the second leader of the Thieves Guild.  Now, I better get back to my business.  Take care, Miss Tawni.”  He then turned around… only to be glomped by a giant blue chibi Marid.  “Robin, why are you here!?”

    “Oh come on, Al, at least for a little bit!” Robin grinned.  “We have some time to kill!”

    “…Fine,” Aladdin said.  “Everyone, this is Robin Williams, not related at all to the Robin from  _Awakening,_ named after the voice actor of the Genie of the Lamp from the Disney movie based off the story that I was named after.  I helped unbind him… it wasn’t easy.”

    “And now, I just hang out and visit from time to time!” Robin said.  Turning to Tawni, looking like a stylist, he said, “And you must be Tawni.  Love your hair, girl!  What shampoo do you use?”

    “Um, like a bottle of strawberry-banana yogurt shampoo?” Tawni said with a blush.  Everyone but Nasira, Robin, Node, and Sheba looked at her with an eyebrow raised.  “Do you guys know how hard it is to manage long, thick hair like mine?  I need an entire bottle of shampoo and conditioner every time I wash it!  And I like strawberries and bananas!”

    “Fruit does help prevent scurvy,” Howe agreed.

    “Okay, where were we?” Aladdin said, summoning a few chairs.  “Something about the Thieves Guild Aladdin?”

    “Yeah, that was it,” Robin said, holding a bowl of popcorn.  He and Aladdin each ate some.  “Anyone want any?”

    “Heck yeah!” a chibi Node beamed as she came in, grabbing a handful.  The three djinn each ate their popcorn.

    “So djinn like popcorn?” Howe asked.

** The Legacy of Thief King Aladdin (4014-4043 ARI) **

    “The second leader of the Thieves Guild had quite the legacy to live up to after the death of Ali Baba,” Sheba said, looking at Ali Baba’s funeral pyre.  “Aladdin had to plan out and execute heists almost on par, if not greater, than the jobs done by Ali Baba.  A lot of the members of the Thieves Guild were already worried that without Ali Baba running the operations, we’d have no real point in staying together.  But Aladdin pressed on, determined to prove that he was chosen for a reason.”

    “And press on he did,” Aladdin said.  “If I remember my history, correctly, his first big job took him across the continent… to House Gerges.”

    “Gerges?” Howe asked.  “Isn’t that the last name of Prince Sulaiman’s purple-haired retainer who, like Princess Janiya’s sister, was a fangirl of Rerci?”  The astral plate showed the purple owl symbol of House Gerges.  “What was her name again?  Lamia?”

    “She is Lamia, yes,” Aladdin said.

    “Doesn’t she also have a crush on your brother?” Howe questioned.

    “It’s obvious to even HIM, but he doesn’t say anything because he’s been in love with Princess Yasmin since they were children and he feels that he doesn’t really deserve her.”

    “But can’t you have royals have harems?” Robin pointed out.

    “Some do, but Father really loved Mother too much to consider a second wife,” Aladdin confessed.

    “So why was House Gerges a target?” Howe questioned.

    “That was easy,” Aladdin said.  “Even though it’s been LONG considered water under the bridge, not too many people, especially the Ustrosi, forgave House Gerges’ impulsive and violent action that not only brought about the fall of the kingdom of Ugurbuh, but the return of Sizah in full force.”

    “Oh right, that crazy genie bitch from Princess Janiya’s story,” Howe said, showing images from the Era of Sizah.  “So these guys held a grudge at least… 500 years old?”

    “People had to grow up, live, and SURVIVE for almost half a millennium with a dangerous genie rampaging throughout Orobia after the fall of the most powerful human kingdom on our continent,” Aladdin said.  “I know several people in the north who would see a Poswa run by House Gerges DESTROYED because of Un Nasa’s destruction and the fall of Ugurbuh.”

    “In the defense of House Gerges,” Robin said, “that could have been avoided had Sultan Shabaan taken ‘no’ for an answer.”

    “Well, Ustros didn’t really CARE that Shabaan kidnapped Sultana Anbara’s wife,” Sheba argued.  “They just remembered that a Gerges woman destroyed Un Nasa, broke Ugurbuh in half, and let loose Sizah’s wrath.  Ustrosi wanted retribution for CENTURIES, but was only stopped because Poswa was very strong, and a war was unwinnable.  However, the Thieves Guild?  Aladdin wanted to spread the guild’s influence outside of Ustros.  It was ambitious, to say the least.  We went after House Gerges, stealing quite a bit of money, and replacing the owl flag of House Gerges with our own flag.”  She then showed a large green flag with a red right hand holding golden coins.

    “Oh I get it!” Robin smirked.  “You guys were ‘caught red handed’!  Weren’t they, Al?”

    “Yes, Robin, they were,” Aladdin said.  “Very funny.”

    “I loved that symbol,” Sheba said.  “Too bad that flag’s gone, now.”  She then said, “So, the point here is that we proved to the entire continent of Orobia that no target was too big for us.”

    “Well, yes, this was your first big cross-continental job,” Kareem said.  “So, what made you guys go from simple huge phantom thieves to including assassinations, slavers, pirates, brigands, and all other kinds of bad sorts?”

    “Serios, frate {Really, brother}?” Jamal questioned.

    “You know, I was going to say that,” Howe admitted.

    “Well,” Tawni sighed, “this is going to require a lot of skipping ahead, isn’t it?”

    “It will,” Sheba said, “but I’m not exactly done with remembering Aladdin, just yet.  After the Gerges heist, we spread our plans throughout Orobia, stealing from the nobles, the soldiers, and even the dragon tribes of western Orobia and the djinn villages of eastern Orobia.  We were set for nearly three decades of doing this.  However, one incident kind of nearly doomed us.”

    “What?” Tawni asked.

    “We led Gargec right to our hideout.”

    The group watched as a chibi, cloaked manakete Gargec, next to a chibi genie wearing a cloak, hiding in an emptied oil jar, smuggled themselves into one of the Thieves Guild’s jobs, and with it, Un Nasa.  Once it hit nightfall, a NOT so chibi dragon Gargec burst out and proceeded to wreck the Thieves Guild’s evening, the genie turning into a bat.  Come sunrise, His then chibi self walked out of the now wrecked Un Nasa, with the Fire Emblem fragment that the Thieves Guild stole back during Ali Baba’s day alongside the genie, ignoring the battered and bruised Thieves Guild members littering the landscape.  He gave the genie woman a hug before giving her the fragment, and she flew away while Gargec, pulled out a pair of sunglasses and ear protection before putting them on.

    He then proceeded to walk away from the fortress, where something fell and exploded behind Him.  Of course, Gargec was completely fine from the fire because He was a magma manakete and as such fire barely fazed Him, and the ear protection helped dim the damage done by the noise of the explosion.  But you, person reading this codex entry, should NOT imitate Gargec by capping off a rampage and/or heist by walking away from your carnage in slow motion as something blows up behind you and you should, when knowingly causing something to blow up, wear appropriate safety equipment.  The odds are high that you’re not a magma manakete, and as such, you’re not fireproof enough to survive the explosion on your own power, and even Gargec Himself had to deal with minor hearing damage.  Luckily, He’s long lived.

    Tawni, Kareem, Node, and Robin, the last one wearing a jumpsuit of glittery rhinestone, then began singing,

     _“Oamenii răi nu se uită la explozii,  
    _ _Ei aruncă lucrurile și apoi pleacă.  
    _ _Cine are timp să privească o explozie?  
    _ _Sunt niște porți bune pentru care trebuie să meargă_

     _{Cool guys don’t look at explosions,  
    _ _They blow things up and then walk away.  
    _ _Who’s got time to watch an explosion?  
    _ _There’s cool guy errands that they have to walk to}….”_

    Everyone else looked at them.  “Come on, Al, that was awesome!”

    “Yeah, I must admit, it’s kind of an honor to get our asses kicked by Gargec and His friend… and LIVE,” Sheba said, taking a drink.  “Of course, MY Aladdin felt ashamed that he let Gargec discover where we were and effectively destroyed our base because we got too lax with security and double-checking what we stole in our high.  So, during the last few years of his tenure as our leader, Aladdin improved Un Nasa into the fortress that it is today.”

    “So when we inevitably storm the Thieves Guild’s headquarters over the course of several chapters,” Howe concluded, “we’ll have the guy who shares your name to thank for all of the hell it will be, Prince Aladdin.”

    “Yes, you will, pirate,” Aladdin replied.

** After Aladdin and Before Cassim (4044-4921 ARI) **

    “Wait, who’s Cassim?” Howe asked, looking above.

    “I can answer that!” Tawni beamed.  “In my supports with my father, we talk about his mentor, Cassim!  He was a member of the Ustrosi Thieves Guild who inspired my clan’s ‘Robin Hood’ approach when he came with his clan to Orobia from Argelia!”

    “You’re all Argelian?” Howe asked.  “Don’t tell Princess Janiya, she’ll wreck your shit.”

    “I’m a mix of Argelian, Romani, and Rusnadi,” Tawni said.

    “We’re Argelian, Romani, and Crubian,” Jamal and Kareem added.

    “I’m Poswali,” Himli said.

    “Dobi, Arya, and I are Uprilian,” Node added.

    “And I’m Nohrian,” Nasira finished.  “Are we done?  Okay.  So what was this about Cassim?”

    “He was my Father’s mentor,” Tawni said.  “So yeah, taught Father a lot of what he knows.”

    “I knew Cassim,” Sheba confessed.  “Great kid, rose to the ranks, traditionalist values.  We’ll talk about him, later.”

    “So what happened once Aladdin decided to hang up his thief cap?” Howe questioned.

    “After Aladdin retired,” Sheba said, “we got a new leader, and kept drumming along.  Eventually, however, one of our leaders, appropriately Thief King Sinbad, was growing concerned that we weren’t making enough of a profit… so he turned to me.  Knowing my status as half water manakete, he asked me to take to the seas.  I started my career as a full-on pirate.”  The astral plate showed her aboard a ship, and setting sail.  “Of course, with the influx of people coming from the Outrealms and deciding to journey to form Xuhua, I had plenty of marks to go after.”

    “Oh, yeah, Xuhua was founded during that time skip,” Himli said.  “Well, about all of the other things?”

    “Oh, that,” Sheba said.  “Well, to be fair, the slave trade was a far more recent thing… Mawdood.  I personally don’t like it, it sets us back before Ali Baba, really.”  She then said, “But assassinations started much earlier than Mawdood.  It was quite common for Romani to also be paid to be assassins.  However, we had much stricter standards than we do, today.  Back then, Thief Queen Paribanon made it clear we only go after the corrupt, the irredeemable, the pure evil… people who deserved death.  We scouted them for weeks, bordering months at times to make sure.”

    “You know, I just realized, a lot of the Thieves Guild leaders, with the exceptions of Mawdood, have names related to  _The Arabian Nights,”_ Tawni said.

    “Yeah, I realize that now, too,” Sheba agreed.  “I think it was because we didn’t want to be TOO much copyrighting  _The Arabian Nights,_ even though we could probably have the names and similar roles fit.  I mean, the Big Good of an ANCIENT prequel to  _Night of Tales_ would be  _Night of Kings_ starring Shahryar and his quest to build Ugurbuh, and there would be a Scheherazade as his queen.”

    “Seriously, you all, stop advertising potential prequel ideas,” Howe frowned.   _“Night of Hearts,_ now this idea?”

    “So,” Nasira said, “we know several leaders of your Thieves Guild.  But we have fought far more than 40 members during our intriguing campaign.  So do you all recruit quickly, or what sorcery keeps your guild stocked with villains?”

    “Oh, the concept of 40 members was changed with Thief King Iago to 39 lieutenants and one leader,” Sheba answered.

    “Iago!?” Nasira questioned.  Showing a chibi  _Fates_ Iago, she questioned, “The twisted sorcerer and right hand of King Garon who is killed by Prince Leo of Nohr in every route of  _Fates?”_

    “No, different Iago,” Sheba answered, showing chibi Leo from  _Fates_ riding up and killing that Iago with Brynhildr.  “Again, it’s surprising how similar names are in the multiverse… I think there’s a Leo in Argelia.”

    “Oh, so not me?” the Leo on the astral plate asked.

    “Sorry for dragging you into this, Prince Leo,” Tawni waved.  “We seem to be dragging a LOT of you guys into this throughout the multiverse.”

    “Okay, see you later,” Leo said, riding away.

    “…Was his collar inside-out?” Aladdin asked.

    “I didn’t want to be rude,” Robin said, wearing a pair of glasses, now.  Tawni noticed her reading glasses were no longer on her face.

    “Hey!” she frowned, trying to reach the genie.  “Curse my tiny form!”

    “Anyway, we had a lot of ups and downs,” Sheba said.  “And now, Cassim.”

** Thief King Cassim (4921-4964 ARI) **

    “As I said before, Cassim didn’t start at the top,” Sheba said, showing a black haired, olive-skinned young boy with a pair of faded irises, playing a flute like Tawni’s father’s.  He was approached by a woman with short green hair, wearing the clothes of a trickster.  “He was a young boy who lost his clan of Romani, and his eyesight in an accident.  Our old Thief Queen, Dunyazade, had a very big heart, something I often teased her.  Well, it made up for the fact that she couldn’t have children.  However, she found Cassim one day on her way back to the hideout, playing his flute for money.  Taking pity on him, instead of just throwing some coins in his bag, she adopted him right then and there.”  The woman then leaned down, picked up the boy’s money, placed it in his surprised hands, then picked up the boy, and threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing while the whole crowd stood confused.

    Tawni gushed, “Aw, that’s how I’d totally adopt a child!”

    “Ya do realize that was borderline kidnapping to train him into becoming a thief, right?” Himli questioned.

    “And I’m not already a thief?” Tawni questioned.  “And besides, Himli, it was probably for the best.  A blind Romani six-year-old wouldn’t have lasted too long on his own in Upril’s streets.”

    “I sadly can vouch for that,” Robin confessed.  “Orphanages in Upril weren’t the best when I had to grant wishes, there, during that time.”

    “That’s dark,” Howe said.

    “So,” Aladdin said, “Cassim found a new home in the Thieves Guild.  I heard Mawdood conscripted a great deal of his lieutenants, but some have joined willingly.”

    “Well, every leader recruits differently,” Sheba shrugged.  “Dunya took in orphans.  She didn’t put them into dangerous jobs right away, though.  She made them start small, doing some pickpocketing on the side or, in Cassim’s case, distract the crowd with his hustle while SHE did the pickpocketing.”  It showed Cassim performing a cup shuffling game, where people tried to guess.  They were so impressed by the blind teen’s quick, fluid movements, they didn’t even notice Dunyazade casually walking by, sneaking her hands all through their valuables, and then walking away several thousand gold richer.

    “Of course, that wasn’t to say that she didn’t train him,” Tawni said.  “Otherwise, how would he have trained my father?”

    “You catch on quickly, little gypsy,” Sheba said.  The image showed a young adult Cassim, now wearing the hooded cloak of a robe and a mask, sneaking into a party, and then making off with a painting.  “Turns out, in order to make up for his one failed sense, his other senses picked up the slack several times over.  He was able to better hear conversations, could smell what and where things were, had a sharper taste, and could feel where things were in comparison to his current location.  Dunyazade was so proud of her son.  If only if she could have seen him become the Thief King.”

    “What happened?” Howe asked.

    “Dunyazade’s status as a lover of children was found out via a leak in the Guild,” Sheba answered, showing an image of Dunyazade sneaking into a room full of scared children.  When she was undoing the lock, light shined on her.  “So some corrupt nobles set a trap for her, and gave her a sadistic choice:  surrender and submit herself to execution, or watch as the children be slaughtered in her stead.”

    Tawni gasped in horror at the new image, and everyone else but Aladdin, Howe, and Sheba at least flinched.  Dunyazade was hanged, but that wasn’t the worst part.  No, the worse part was all of the scared children, save for a couple (who got away), were hanging WITH her, and the nobles all laughed.

    “Acei monștri fără inimă ... nici măcar nu au onorat afacerea {Those heartless monsters... they didn't even honor the deal},” Jamal spat.

    “They killed… all of them,” Nasira breathed, tears running down her face.  “Why!?”

    “While a couple did get away, those Ustrosi nobles were sick people prior to the rise of the Valkyries, giving even the worst nobles of modern day Poswa some pause,” Aladdin said, walking forward.  “Not even Duke Zahar Botros, who I’m almost certain tried to poison my little brother as a CHILD, would have murdered a group of children for entertainment.  He would have murdered ONE to serve his twisted belief that he’s defending Poswa from an internal threat.”

    “That’s still messed up…!” Kareem scowled.  “If I could travel back in time…!”

    “No need,” Sheba said.  “Cassim did not take too kindly to the death of his stepmother, let alone the slaughter of a group of orphans who had ‘served their purpose’.”  The image then showed the group of nobles who were feasting when one of them started choking and then coughing up blood.  She then fell dead, while Cassim loomed behind her, playing his flute.  He then lowered the flute, and scowled.

    “Ladies, gentlemen… you’ve eaten well.  You’ve eaten atop the bodies of the innocent of Nourdari’s poor and destitute souls,” Cassim said while another person choked and died.  “You’ve eaten the spirit of Nourdari, the glory of it.”  A third feaster chose this moment to drop dead, but that was the last one.  “But you made a great and fatal err in your revelry:  you made it very clear WHERE you celebrate your bloody victories.  Your feast is over.”  Cassim tapped on his flute, which signaled the lights to go out… before turning back on, revealing Cassim was NOT alone.  Sheba and the other 38 lieutenants were there.  “Prin jertfa lui Dunyazade am fost de acord să nu mă răzbun. Dar dezonoarea ta de acordul ei și spargerea nesăbuită a sângelui mă cheamă acum să fac același lucru. Ține minte: ți-a dat o șansă {It was by Dunyazade's sacrifice that I agreed to not take revenge.  But your dishonor of her accord and reckless spilling of blood now calls for me to do the same.  Remember:  she gave you a chance}.”  With that, the light turned out as he drew a dagger that gleamed.  “From this moment on, none of you are safe.”  When a flash of lightning occurred, the room was now full of dead nobles, and the Thieves Guild disappeared.

    “Damn,” Howe breathed.

    “The best part about that was that several of those lieutenants were saved by Dunya, too,” Sheba said.  “But with that, a new Thief King was born.  See, Howe?  You may be the one who took down Nourdari, but we showed it could be done.  And for good measure, we stole all of that mansion’s wealth, and gave it to the orphanages… AFTER shaking them down and making sure the people running them NEVER let something like this happen ever again.”

    “Putting the fear of Gargec into them to not let anything happen to innocent kids,” Aladdin observed.  “Clever fear tactic.”

    “Um, Your Majesty,” Himli questioned, “I know they were all horrible people, but that’s also pretty brutal what the Thieves Guild did.  What about the families of the corrupt nobles?  Did they get massacred by the Thieves Guild, too?”

    “No,” Aladdin said.  “They didn’t, but their family names WERE forever ruined when the scandal was revealed by the Thieves Guild to the public.  But there is one major thing that came from this.”  He then showed Kalia back in her prime.  “A couple of those escaped orphans fell in love with each other for comfort… and from this, Queen Kalia was born.”

    “Aw….!” Tawni gushed.

    “You are adorable,” Aladdin said.

    Sheba continued, “After our famous Nourdari job, the Thieves Guild got a sweet and sour reputation as full-fledged vigilantes and murderers.  But Cassim didn’t care.  Instead, he wanted to make it clear to the whole world again that the Thieves Guild stands against TRUE evil.  And for the longest time, we did.  Sure, we indulged in our vices at times, but until Mawdood turned the Guild into the massive army you’ve seen and fought, we were only feared by the truly corrupt or those in power.  Not the innocents.  Cassim actually even planned to go to Rusnad and assassinate the Pharaoh when he heard that he had House Adio sacked and destroyed… only stopped when he heard Guaril was in the area.  He always did have a soft spot for Guaril.”

    “So, what about my Father?” Tawni asked.  “What about him and Cassim?”

    “Cassim met your father, alright,” Sheba said as she showed an image of a young Guaril looking up at an old Cassim.  “Your father was his unofficial apprentice.”  Cassim taught him how to climb, how to move through a crowd.  But he then, one day, handed Guaril something… his signature flute.  “He gave Guaril that flute he loved.  Had Cassim had his way, he would have made Guaril his apprentice and had him be a part of the Thieves Guild.  But the Dighton clan moved on, and Cassim eventually retired, allowing Thief King Ali Shar to take his place.”

    “So that’s why the rom baro loves music!” Jamal gasped.  “So Cassim taught him how to play?”

    “Taught him a few songs, if I heard,” Tawni breathed.  “I’ve been learning them….”

** The Calm Before Mawdood (4965-4979 ARI) **

    “Oh gods, we have one more time after this one,” Himli breathed.  “And it’s Mawdood!”

    “Well, yeah, Mawdood will show up,” Sheba said.  “But after Cassim passed away, we decided to stay in Ustros for a little while, lay low.  In fact, if it wasn’t for Aseel’s War, we probably would have eventually disbanded.  Thankfully, the war happened, and we decided to get somewhat involved… by stealing things in the chaos.”

    “I do NOT blame you,” Howe admitted.

    “Aseel actually tried to bribe us to kill both young King Darius and Sultan Mecca, too,” Sheba admitted.  “Mecca, Prince Aladdin, you know why:  Aseel didn’t want anyone getting the throne except for him.  Darius, however, Aseel didn’t like how his brother left his work half-finished.  We didn’t take the offer, of course.”

    “Good,” Aladdin said.  “I would have had to destroy you out of revenge for trying to kill my father.”

    “But some time after the war,” Sheba said, “we found a young man with a stump where his right hand should be, and a missing left eye that had been freshly gouged out.  Ali Shar made a fatal mistake the day he picked up the dying young man:  not putting him out of his misery.”

    “Mawdood,” Tawni scowled.  “My father’s nemesis.”

** Mawdood, the Newest King of Thieves (4980-4999 ARI) **

    “All I know about Mawdood’s real past is that he was apparently a Romani who had a bad encounter with Guaril, resulting in him losing his hand, and his eye was stabbed by a child he had tried molding into an assassin,” Sheba explained.

    “I think I heard of the assassin child,” Aladdin said.  Showing a picture of a brown-clad figure wearing clothes too thick to tell if they were a man or woman and wearing a mask in the shape of a scropion, Aladdin explained, “Rumors claim that they grew up into becoming Aleaqarab.  No one can tell if they are a man or a woman, but they’re one of the deadliest assassins outside of the Thieves Guild in all of Orobia.”

    Sheba continued, showing Mawdood, fresh out of surgery, getting used to having a hand, again, “Well, Mawdood, after being given a new hand, was sworn into the Guild.  However, he was ambitious.”  The image showed Mawdood standing in front of a map of Orobia, where he stabbed Ustros with a dagger before pointing at Upril, then Poswa, then Cruibia, and then Rusnad, “He started making demands and had outlandish plans and goals.  He wanted to turn the Thieves Guild into a genuine army, breaking out the worst of the worst scum in prisons, enlisting them, and turning them against the people of Orobia.  He wanted to be a big shot… having discovered he wanted the Fire Emblem to release Rerci to alter reality, I realize he had delusions of godhood back then.  But he wasn’t taken too seriously, being only a grunt.  When he tried to raise his voice a time too many for Ali Shar’s liking, however….”

    Mawdood’s throat was then grabbed by Ali Shar, who lifted him up and then slammed him to the ground.  When Mawdood tried to get up, Ali Shar planted him onto the ground with a boot.  He then revealed his genie heritage by activating magic and summoning an axe, holding the blade to Mawdood’s throat with enough force to draw blood.  He then desummoned the axe, and pointed him to go back to his room.

    “He’d shut him up.”

    “Why didn’t he just kill Mawdood, again?” Kareem asked.  “It would have saved us all so much headache.”

    “Again, we thought he was a grunt,” Sheba said.  “But I suppose underestimating how far his vision and resolve went worked for him.  If we actually took him seriously, I don’t think Ali Shar would have stopped with the implied threat.  But I also blame myself for his rise, too.”  She turned away, while it showed her sailing the seas.  “While I was out and Ali Shar was busy dealing with business, Mawdood made his move.”

    With a flash, the astral plate showed Mawdood killing several lieutenants, but alongside him was a young man with a huge sword, the bandit twins Viva and Vova, and a templar.  When Sheba came back, she found Un Nasa littered with dead lieutenants, and Ali Shar without his head, but Mawdood slouching on the throne, his clothes stained with blood and sipping out of a cup.  He then held out a flame sword that unleashed a ball of flame that melted Ali Shar’s axe.  He looked at Sheba, who scowled at him.  However, she felt a wyrmslayer at her back, and saw the dragon axes.  Her choice of bowing or dying was clear.  She crossed her arms, and bowed, but kept her scowl.

    “I didn’t like it,” Sheba confessed, “but Mawdood was now the Thief King.  And with the title, he’s run the Guild’s good reputation into the mud, such as that brazen infiltration into Tanuhah where they tried to kidnap Princess Yasmin of Cruibia, and later, participating in the Widowing Massacre.  Nowadays, we have to worry about infighting, and Viva and Vova’s incompetence, and ruthless dastards like Inigo and Reitz mucking things up.”

    “Wait, Inigo?” Tawni asked.  “The dancer son of Olivia from  _Awakening_  who became Laslow in  _Fates?”_   She then showed Laslow from those two games.

    “Different Inigo,” Sheba replied.

    “Hello there!” Laslow greeted Tawni.  “Aren’t you the lovely desert rose?  Perhaps we can get to know each other over a cup of tea!”

    “Hey, flirt with your own girls from those two games!” Kareem frowned, holding Tawni.  “I’m the cassanova in  _Night of Tales!”_   Laslow frowned, but retreated.  Something then fell out of Tawni’s pocket.

    “Hey, one of my smoke bombs!” Tawni beamed.  “Just in time, too.”  As the smoke bomb went off, she called to the crowd, “See you all, later, people!  Comment on what topic you want us to cover!”  When the smoke cleared, the Dighton clan had all vanished, leaving Aladdin, Robin, Howe, and Sheba plus her Thieves Guild.

    “Robin, I think we should leave, now,” Aladdin said.  Robin nodded, and summoned a magic carpet.  He and Aladdin got on it.

    “Take care, ladies and gentlemen!” Robin smirked.  “I’ll see you in  _Night of Tales_  if not here in  _Night of Lore!”_   He then flew off with Aladdin.  Howe then realized just how screwed he was.

    “So, I DID help, all things considered,” Aladdin said.  “So, can I leave or…?”

    “You have a ten-second head start,” Sheba said.

    “Running, now!” Howe said.  Sheba then waited exactly ten seconds while Howe started running.

    When she was through, she held up her dragonstone, melting into water before turning into a giant water dragon.   **“Get him!”**   She and the Thieves Guild then rushed after Howe. 


	6. Classes and Skills, Part 1:  Base Human Classes and Skills

## "Classes and Skills, Part 1:  Base Human Classes and Skills"

    Sulaiman and Janiya walked in, but they weren’t alone.  Barack and Saiduq, both chibi, were with them. “So, why did we have to bring your trainer and my father’s retainer and commander?” Janiya asked.

    “Because if we’re going to be discussing classes and skills,” Sulaiman said, “these men are the best we know.  For me, Sir Barack is a war veteran who, prior to my father joining up with the Golden Valkyries upon discovering my great uncle’s treachery, accompanied him during that war.”

    “It’s true, I did,” Barack said.

    “And I guess House Il-Hazaad has had GENERATIONS of master soldiers, and Commander Il-Hazaad is for intents and purposes my mentor,” Janiya confessed.

    “Thank you, Princess,” Saiduq nodded.

    “But should we be doing this without Tawni and Captain Howe?” Janiya asked.

    “They had their turn during the Ustrosi Thieves Guild chapter,” Sulaiman said.  “And also, Captain Howe’s terrified of you after that thrashing you gave him.”

    “You gave the pirate responsible for the fall of Nourdari a proper beating?” Saiduq smirked at his princess.  “Not bad, milady.”

    “Thank you, Commander,” Janiya smirked.  She pulled out her astral plate, and channeled her magic.  She then placed it down, and pulled out Yasmin’s Fire Emblem fragment, which called forth a collection of images.  “Alright, so, how do we start?”

    “Well, let’s start by addressing the audience,” Sulaiman said.  He turned to you in front of the screen. “Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, whatever time you are reading this story or listening to it if you have a screen-reader.  Welcome to another installment of  _Night of Lore._   I’m Prince Sulaiman Nejem of Poswa, and this is my co-hostess for today, Princess Janiya Madani of Cruibia.  And we are joined by two of our companions, Sir Barack and Commander Saiduq.”

    “What my stiff future brother-in-law here and I are sharing with you all today is the classes and skills of common units you will see in  _Fire Emblem:  Night of Tales,”_  Janiya continued.  “And we say ‘common units’, not special units like ourselves, Captain Howe and Tawni’s future promotions, our blood-related companions, and certain enemies.  These are units you have seen in that character submission thing our author made for  _Night of Tales.”_

    “I think I was a character submitted for that,” Saiduq said.  He then said, “So, why are we using the astral plate, if you all don’t mind me asking?”

    “Oh, that’s easy,” Janiya said.  “Sulaiman here didn’t think you guys had on stand-by a bunch of the units we’re going to be talking about, today, so we made it simple for you guys by having holograms ready-to-go.”

    “Well, thank you,” Barack said, “but we have quite a few of them.  So, let’s get started. Who do we have, first?”

** Villager **

    “Wow, we are starting very humble,” Barack said.

    “The villager starts off as a very weak class, for anyone who has played Gaiden, Awakening, Fates, or Echoes:  Shadows of Valentia,” Saiduq began.  “Other units like them are the Trainee units the pupil, the journeyman, and the recruit from Sacred Stones… which this story seems to have some similarities to without the author realizing it.”  He pulled out of nowhere Himli, while Barack had a chibi Rawiya come forth.

    “Wait a minute, where am I?” Himli asked.  He then looked at Sulaiman, and quickly bowed.  “Oh, Prince Sulaiman! What are you doing here? And what am I doing here?”

    “Hi, Prince Sulaiman,” Rawiya waved.

    “Oh, you must be Himli from Miss Tawni’s campaign,” Sulaiman greeted.  “Well, we’re doing more Night of Lore.  As for ‘why you’re here’… Commander Il-Hazaad, why is Himli here?”

    “Princess Janiya’s campaign doesn’t have any villagers, so far,” Saiduq said.  “So I borrowed one.” He then pulled out a lance, and twirled it before pointing it at Himli.  He then handed a scared and confused Himli the lance. “As you see, here, the villager is an infantry that can only use the lance, but can be male or female, as demonstrated by the existence of this poor boy’s female counterpart, here.”

    “Yep!” Rawiya nodded.  “So yeah, we’re kind of limited in terms of weapons.”

    “You’re also very limited in terms of strength as a unit,” Barack confessed.  “At least, starting out. If a patient and competent tactician—the player—invests time and effort into training you and avoiding getting you killed in classic mode, you can very easily become a powerhouse, almost eventually being rivaled in strength by only the leaders of your respective parties.”

    “Really?” Rawiya asked.

    “Yes,” Saiduq said.  “Now, let’s talk skills before we talk promotions.”

    “I bet we probably don’t have a whole lot of skills to make us useful,” Himli frowned.

    “I beg to disagree,” Barack said.  He then pressed a mark on the screen, which showed “Aptitude” and “Underdog”.  “Behold your bread and butter: Aptitude and Underdog.”

    “Aptitud’ pretty much means that every single one of your stats gets a 20 percent growth rate,” Sulaiman explained.  “That means every time the two of you level up, there are strong odds your stats will get a significant increase.”

    “That’s great!” Rawiya beamed.

    “As for Underdog,” Janiya added, “you guys are easily underestimated by your enemies, especially the ones that are actually stronger than you.  That means they’ll be less likely to take you as a serious threat and won’t be as likely to hit you. But of course, you’ll be able to hit THEM.  The stronger your foe is, the more likely this will happen.”

    “Well, I guess that makes sense as to why I haven’t been killed yet in Miss Tawni’s adventures… especially considering we fought DRAGONS.”

    “Aw, man, I was out training for that weekend!” Rawiya frowned.  “At least Ulfah and Thesin had fun.”

    “That explains the damage I had to fix,” Sulaiman muttered.  “But I think we’re all forgetting a couple more skills: ‘Orienteer’ and ‘Harvester’.”

    “Oh, you mean my ability to go over rough terrain like mountains or through forests easily?” Himli questioned.  “Well, I know my rough patches pretty well, because I’m a miner.”

    “And I just know my way through the farm fields,” Rawiya blushed.  “Of course, as for ‘Harvester’, we can, in woods, fields, wastelands, mountains, anywhere that’s not immediately harmful or neutral terrain, we automatically get a health recovery about 20 percent every turn.”

    “Okay, villagers would be broken if they weren’t frail or took long to turn into powerful units, since they’re one of the only unit that has four skills,” Janiya concluded.

    “So, the villager has multiple promotions,” Saiduq said.  “First is the merchant, your typical Arabian Nights traveling salesman who happens to gain the use of bows and staves for range and healing, respectively.  Which kind of makes me wonder why merchants in Fates weren’t, in the first game that allows you to have playable merchant classes, also healers?”

    “We fixed that,” Sulaiman assured him.  “Second, and something I feel fits Rawiya is the Sentinel.  Yes, a sentinel focuses exclusively on lances, but it’s one of the three classes that focuses on one of the most iconic weapons in the weapon triangle.  The next class is the one Commander Il-Hazaad is.”

    “A captain,” Saiduq continued.  “We also use swords and whips, but I prefer my lance.”

    “That’s great, but let’s not forget that these young villagers can also become riders of the paladin class,” Barack said, pointing to his chibi camel.  “They also get swords for this promotion… but not axes and armor like us great knights. If they want axes and armor, they’ll have to settle for generals.  But if they want a true mastery of the weapon triangle, there IS a class: the janissary, which allows them to wield all three main melee weapons of the weapon triangle.”

    “Alright, that covers villagers,” Saiduq said.  “You two are dismissed.”

    “Okay,” Himli said.  “Now, how do I find Miss Tawni?”

    “Oh that’s easy!” Tawni said, appearing from a trap door next to Himli.

    “What the—!?” Himli questioned as she hopped out.

    “How long has that been there?” Rawiya asked.

    “For a while,” Tawni said.  “And now, I’ll take Himli back to the caravan’s camp.  Bye, guys!” She then threw a smoke bomb down, disappearing with Himli.

    “Gypsies are strange folk,” Janiya said while Rawiya curtsied to Sulaiman before skipping off.  “So, who’s next?”

    “Mercenaries and myrmidons,” Sulaiman answered.

** Mercenaries and Myrmidons **

    “Ah, the mercenary,” Janiya said.  “These guys are known to be sell swords and the ‘lord-lite’ of most Fire Emblem games.  As for the myrmidon, they too use only the sword, but they’re kind of like samurai more than scimitar-wielding mercenaries traveling the desert.”  Showing Minoo in her youth, she smiled, “They kind of remind me of a magic-less version of Mother.”

    “Here you go,” Barack and Saiduq said, holding Sento and Kairi, respectively.

    “Where do you guys keep finding these people?” Janiya questioned.

    “Um, I don’t know,” Kairi said.

    “Like villagers, anyone, male or female, can be a sword-swinging mercenary or myrmidon,” Barack said.  “Mercenaries have all-around stats, but don’t have as much skill as their myrmidon counterparts.”

    “Meanwhile, myrmidons specialize in high attack power and skill, but are glass cannons,” Saiduq said.

    “Sore ga shinjitsudenainara, watashi wa yūkai sa reta koto ni tsuite harawotaterudarou {I’d be madder about being kidnapped if that wasn’t true},” Kairi said.

    Sento reasoned, “Sore wa warui koto kamo shirenai, okusan. Watashitachiha rei to shite shiyō sa rete imasu {It could be worse, ma'am.  We're being used as examples}.”

    “Gomeiwaku o okake shi mōshiwakegozaimasen {I apologize for the inconvenience},” Sulamian assured them.  “Well, ladies first for this skill list.”

    “Okay,” Kairi said.  She looked at the astral plate, which showed “Duelist Blow”, “Vantage”, and “Inverted Blade”.  “Alright, so I know ‘Duelist Blow’ allows me, when I initiate a battle, to have a better dodge rate, and ‘Vantage’ means that I’ll have a higher chance of attacking first when an enemy engages ME.  But what’s ‘Inverted Blade’?”

    “New skill that allows you to better wield a sword that inverts the weapon triangle,” Sulaiman answered.  “To save time, barbarians and soldiers all have similar abilities, ‘Inverted Axe’ and ‘Inverted Lance’.”

    “Wait, that’s a thing?” Saiduq asked.  “Note to self, go to Xuhua.”

    “As for my skills,” Sento said, “I have… ‘Armsthrift’?  Am I reading that right? Weapon durability is back, but I have a chance that I don’t have to worry about it draining my weapons too much based off my luck?”

    “Yes,” Janiya said.  “Luckily, there are blacksmiths who can reforge your weapons to keep up their durability, but for a fee.  The better grade of a weapon or specialization of a weapon or how many charges are left with a weapon, the more it will cost.  Only Gargec-designed weapons like my Hova and Sulaiman’s Taryn, plus plot-related weapons like Orenmir, and the Amiibo Legendary Replica Weapons will have unlimited durability.”  
  
     _"AMIIBO!"_   Everyone looked around at that.

    “Amiibo?” Sento asked.

    “That’s a topic for another time,” Janiya replied.  “Now, you mentioned your luck. So you also have ‘Fortunate’, which, similar to villagers, if you’re lucky, you recover 20 percent of your health at the start of your turn.  You also have ‘Strong Riposte’, where if your enemy attacks you, you hit back slightly harder than you would when you initiate.”

    “Okay, that’s fair,” Sento said.  “So, what about promotions? I know I’m probably going to have Hero and Bow Knight, which since Awakening are infantry sword and axe-users and cavalry sword and bow-users, respectively.”

    “You also get to be a captain, and get a lance and one of Night of Tales newest weapons, the whip,” Saiduq said.  “The whip is a red weapon similar to the sword, fire magic, and dragonstones, but is ranged physical like bows and daggers.”

    “Awesome!” Sento grinned.

    “And if you’d like,” Sulaiman said, “you can become the more offensive-oriented counterpart to the hero, the Swashbuckler, and gain axes and the ability to cross water.”

    “So I get Swordmaster, one of the focused melee masters,” Kairi listed.  “I also get Janissary and access to axes and lances, Assassin and access to bows and daggers, and if I was born male, I would have access to Dread Fighter, which has axes and daggers.”

    “Dread Fighter is back as a regular, non-DLC class?” Sento asked.  Tawni came back in.

    “Okay, random question before I leave again,” Tawni asked, “do you guys have ANY more of my people?”

    “Yes,” Saiduq and Barack asked.

    “I’m going to go make more smoke bombs,” Tawni sighed.  She then threw it down, disappearing with Kairi and Sento.

    “…Want to cover Barbarians and Soldiers in one shot, young man?” Barack asked.

    “Absolutely,” Saiduq replied.  “I’ll get Saladin, you get that barbarian from your campaign.”  The two ran off, and then came back with chibi Nail and chibi Saladin.

** Barbarians and Soldiers **

    “So,” Barack said, “this boy here is Nail.  He’s an axe-wielding barbarian, with high strength but low defense.”

    “Hey!” Nail frowned.

    “You know it’s true,” Barack replied.

    “I nearly defeated Sulaiman!” Nail argued.

    “Shouldn’t the basic, axe-wielding playable infantry be called a ‘fighter’?” Janiya asked.

    “We actually thought about that,” Sulaiman confessed.  “But barbarians better fight the desert theme than ‘fighter’.”

    “…True,” Janiya said.

    “Meanwhile, Saladin, despite not being an official part of the Cruibian army, is a skilled soldier,” Saiduq said.

    “Thanks, Commander Il-Hazaad,” Saladin said.  “Both this class and barbarian are male-exclusive.”

    “We soldiers are are even more balanced than mercenaries, but we’re more defensive than lucky,” Saiduq said.  “It’s kind of a shame that we are just NOW getting back into Fire Emblem as a proper recruitable unit not having to be Captured like in Fates.  But if you don’t have a knight, which we’ll cover soon, we’ll be your go-to for defense, especially with what skills we bring.  Need to cover some distance quickly or get someone out of the line of fire? Use ‘Shove’.”

    “We barbarians have that, too!” Nail called.

    “Need to switch us to be in enemy way or switch to a unit who can do the job of finishing off a foe?  ‘Swap’.”

    “We don’t have that, though!” Nail admitted.  “We have Orienteering.”

    “And Prince Sulaiman mentioned that we happen to have a skill called ‘Inverted Lance’ while you have ‘Inverted Axe’,” Saiduq concluded.  “Now, for promotions, for soldiers, you can promote them to captain like myself and get access to whips and swords, or you can go for general and get an axe and some armor, a privateer with an axe and the ability to cross water, or be super-focused with your lance and become a sentinel.”

    “Meanwhile,” Nail frowned, “you can make us barbarians become bow-using warriors, sword-swinging heroes, water-walking and sword-using swashbucklers, water-walking and lance-wielding privateers, or focus our axe-skills in a violent and destructive fury by making us become heavy hitting berserkers.”  He then told Sulaiman and Barack, “I’m going to leave, now. I feel insulted.”

    “You have my apologies,” Saiduq said while Nail left.

    “I’ll leave, too,” Saladin said.  “See you in our next chapter, Lady Janiya, Commander Il-Hazaad.”

    “So, who’s next?” Janiya asked.  “You guys said ‘knights’, right?”

    “Well, not just them, Princess Janiya,” Sulaiman said.  “We have to discuss… templars.” He then shuddered.

    “What?” Janiya asked.  “Oh, right, quarter-genie.”

** Knights and Templars **

    Duaa from Sulaiman’s campaign and Nikou from Janiya’s campaign came in.  “So, what’s going on?” Duaa asked.

    “Something about our classes being explained,” Nikou answered.

    “Now, everyone knows the standard Fire Emblem knight, is a bulky, physical defensive unit in armor who trades speed and movement for impregnable defense and have impressive offense, but low resistance,” Barack said.  “In short, the best wall for physical combat.”

    “Damn right we are!” Duaa grinned.  “And we have Shove, Strong Riposte, and Natural Cover!  The latter boosts my defense slightly when we factor in unusual terrain, sir!”

    “Good girl,” Barack said.  “And your advanced classes?”

    “Sir, we can be great knights like you, and gain the full melee physical weapon triangle and gain a mount or become generals and get just axes, but stronger defenses!”

    “Good, dismissed,” Barack nodded.  Duaa walked away.

    “Wow, she’s perky,” Nikou said.  “So do I explain templars?”

    “Yes, please,” Saiduq insisted.

    “Well, in case it wasn’t obvious,” Nikou grinned, “our existence was made in response to the rise of genie and magi-related problems, initially by pegasus knights who decided to trade their steeds for wearing heavy orichalcum armor.  Orichalcum being a magical-resistant metal, of course.”

    “And poisonous to genies,” Sulaiman said, taking a small step away from her.  “Forgive me, milady, I’m just a tad nervous.”

    “Oh, it’s not like I’m going to get bored, and cut you down with my sword,” Nikou said.  “You’d probably outrun me, since this armor makes me slow. And also, I sacrifice skill for magic power, which will go to one of my advanced classes, either a staff-wielding guardian or a tome-wielding crusader with access to light magic.  Doesn’t your bride wield light magic?”

    “She does,” Janiya said.  “But what about skills? This is a whole new class exclusive to Night of Tales.”

    “Oh, right,” Nikou said.  “Well, like knights, we have Natural Cover.  However, we have Tomebreaker, which limits mages’ abilities to hit us or evade us when using a tome.  And finally, we have Magic Seal, which shuts off magic’s effectiveness.”

    “Well, that’s good enough,” Janiya shrugged.  “See you later, Nikou.” After Nikou left, Janiya giggled, “You genies really have a problem about templars.”

    “They can kill us a lot easier than armored units typically SHOULD to the point that I’m worried I’m going to have to start carrying a rapier or armorslayer just to survive Cruibia’s court if need be!”

    “That won’t be necessary,” Janiya said.  “…Want to do bow-users?”

    “Please,” Sulaiman asked.

** Archers, Explorers, and Apothecaries **

    “Commander Il-Hazaad,” a chibi Payam question, “why did you ask me to come here?”

    “Hi, Payam!” Janiya smiled, waving at him.  Payam blinked, his cheeks pink. “Payam?”

    “…So cute in this style….” The archer muttered.

    “I think you broke him,” Sulaiman whispered.  Aloud, he said, “As you’ve figured out, archers are your go-to for ranged physical fighting.”  Summoning his bow, he said, “As a bow-user myself, I respect these men and women’s dedication to the art of long-ranged fighting.  Of course, we Orobian archers aren’t helpless if a sword-user decides to come in our face. We take after Valentian and Fóldanian archers.”

    “Fóldanian?” Janiya asked.

    “The newest, official Fire Emblem game, Three Houses, takes place on the continent of Fóldan,” Barack answered.

    “Thank you, Sir Barack,” Sulaiman said.  “Now, back to our current archer. Archers are glass cannons due to their lack of staying power, but they have high skill and speed, often getting a second shot off… or critical hits.  Their skills include Anticipation, which increases their likelihood of hitting or dodging attacks when they start the battle, Quick Draw which increases the damage when starting a battle, and Inverted Bow, which increases the odds that they can use a bow that reverts the weapon triangle quicker than most bow-users.”

    “And Payam can become bow-focused by being a sniper, or he can get the physical ranged weapon triangle by being a bounty hunter and getting whips and daggers, become a warrior with an axe, or become a bow knight, which is a mounted bow and sword-user,” Janiya capped off.  She then asked, “Payam, what do you want to be?”

    “…Still so cute…” Payam stammered.  Janiya frowned in concern.

    “I think I broke my best friend, Elahe,” Janiya said.

    “And you two haven’t made love, yet,” Elahe teased as she floated in.  Janiya blushed as Elahe then grabbed Payam, and put him on her magic carpet.  “I’ll take him to Caspar, you guys continue. See you when you go over genies!”

    After Elahe floated away, Janiya cleared her throat and rid her blush.  “So, we have explorers, now, kind of based off the whole ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ type of character.”

    “Hey guys, what’s going on, Prince Sulaiman?” a chibi Ulfah asked.

    “Care to introduce your class, Miss Ulfah?” Sulaiman asked.

    “Wait, is that all?” Ulfah asked.  “Shoot, that’s easy. Think Fates’ outlaws, but with whips instead of high resistance.  We’ll get that plus staves as adventurers, but we’re more lucky than magic-proof.  We also get the skills of Locktouch, which allows us to unlock doors and chests without keys and disarm traps like caltrops and bear traps.  We also have Orienteering, since we need to be able to move quickly. We also get a boost in movement, like ninjas.”

    “Well, besides adventurer, what are your other options?’ Sulaiman asked.

    “Just bounty hunter to get daggers.”

    “Okay, fine,” Sulaiman shrugged.  “You’re free to go, Ulfah.”

    “Thanks,” Ulfah smirked.  “I have some business with Thesin, anyway….”

    “I thought she was in a coma,” Sulaiman recalled.

    “In your campaign, yes,” Ulfah answered.  “Not Tawni’s campaign during our cameo… she’s shy in the streets, but she’s frisky off of them.”  Ulfah then walked away, humming to herself.

    “…I’m so sorry if we hear their moans in a few minutes,” Sulaiman apologized to the group.

    “Okay, so we only have apothecaries left… aren’t those a Fate class of bow-users that don’t really show up very often?”

    “I know, right?” the Night of Tales chibi Anna said.  “The only two named apothecaries in all of Fates are Midori and the both of Ophelia’s paralogue, Senno!  Well, we’re fixing that, here!”

    “Miss Anna?” Sulaiman asked.  “What are you doing here?”

    “Making a profit!” Anna said.  “So, we apothecaries are slower but sturdier than typical archers.  But we’re still not really the ‘best’ artillery in a situation, but we can be useful.  We also carry staves to heal allies, making us a great support unit.”

    “But what about skills?” Janiya asked.

    “Well, it’s all about using self-applied items to your advantage with us, plus a little extra,” Anna smirked.  “First up is Potent Potion, which allows healing items to have far better effects. And that’s not even mentioning how we can replenish easily with Master Herbology.  When at a field, a forest, or a mountain space, we find herbs to use for our potions, creating tonics or potions. You will never lack for healing with Anna on your team.  But the best part is Quick Salve, which allows us to move again after drinking a potion, which can help for retreats, trades, or quick strikes. And we apothecaries can become merchants and get lances, or adventurers, and gets and whips.”

    “Thanks for that,” Saiduq said.

    “That will be 10,000 Gold for the explanation,” Anna winked.  Everyone stared at her.

    “…I’m going to have to call Father for this,” Sulaiman muttered after Anna left with the money.  “I believe we have twelve base human classes left, want to call it a session when we get through them all?”

    “I suppose that’s fair, but we’ll have to cover the non-human base classes in one run,” Janiya said.  “Let’s just knock out, with this next section, every base class that has a mount.”

    “Even troubadours?” a chibi Ziba asked as she walked in.

    “How about we start with you, Ziba?” Janiya asked, perking back up.

    “Yay!” Ziba smiled, hugging her cousin.  Janiya stuck her tongue out at a frowning Sulaiman.

    “You’re jealous,” Janiya smirked.

    “Of course I am,” he admitted.

    ‘How dare she have a cute little cousin?’ Dark Sulaiman complained.

** Troubadours, Cavaliers, Pegasus Knights, and Wyvern Knights **

    “So, as one can see,” Saiduq said while Ziba fed her camel, “Lady Ziba here is a troubadour.  Although most real-world troubadours were French songwriters, Fire Emblem troubadours are mounted healers, riding their camels behind the strong front lines rather quickly and healing them with staves.”

    “We’re useful!” Ziba smiled.

    “But like most healers, you’re squishy and I don’t want you hurt,” Janiya said.

    “Yes, please don’t do anything reckless, milady,” Saiduq requested.

    “Okay,” Ziba nodded.

    “Good girl,” Janiya smiled.

    Saiduq continued, “Lady Ziba’s skills are Demoiselle, which inspires closeby male allies to take better care of themselves in battle, increasing the likelihood of dodging and avoiding critical hits.  After all, that face is too adorable to disappoint.”

    “Yes, it is,” Sulaiman agreed.  “And I heard the male equivalent is Gentilhomme.  What else?”

    “Well, there’s Le Resistance, which boosts her and nearby allies’ resistance just by being nearby,” Saiduq said.  “Finally, there’s Healtouch, which powers up her healing abilities. She’s really our best healer besides Lady Yasmin and Caspar.”

    “Thank you, Commander!” Ziba smiled.

    “Are we sure she’s not an expy of Elise from Fates or any of the troubadours before her?” Sulaiman asked.  Everyone just shrugged. He then asked, “So, what are your promotions, Lady Ziba?”

    “Well,” Ziba thought, “I can become either a falcon knight and trade my camel for a falicorn and a lance, or a servant like Caspar is, put my camel away, and learn how to use daggers—”

    “No!” Janiya, Yasmin, Darius, a chibi Benyamin, a chibi Milad, a chibi Etti, and a chibi Kamyar all called, horrified looks on their faces.

    “Where did you all come from!?” Barack questioned, while Yasmin hugged Sulaiman and Janiya to comfort herself from the idea of Ziba using daggers.

    “We heard Ziba was going to be next,” Kamyar said.  Turning to his daughter, he requested, “Couldn’t you try to be a strategist and learn anima magic like I taught your brothers.”

    “That sounds reasonably safe,” Ziba said.  “Can I keep my camel.”

    “Yes,” Kamyar said.

    “Okay, everyone from Cruibia who’s not a pegasus knight, a troubadour, a cavalier, or Commander Il-Hazaad, please leave the stage,” Janiya requested.  “We’ve resolved the potential crisis of Ziba with daggers.” With that, everyone but Ziba left.

    “Do I want to know why daggers are a bad thing?” Sulaiman asked.

    “My uncle’s a hemophiliac, so it takes a lot to heal him if a blood-letting wound happens,” Janiya reminded him.  “So yeah, daggers are dangerous.”

    “Okay, now that we’ve cleared that up, we need a cavalier,” Sulaiman mused.

    “I found two,” Barack said, holding rope connected to Jamal and Kareem.

    “I didn’t see him LEAVE,” Janiya breathed.

    “Ah, the beautiful and powerful Princess Janiya,” Kareem greeted with a bow.  “How lovely to see you, today….”

    “Nice try, Roma, but I’m not that easy,” Janiya deadpanned.  “So, cavaliers are your standard mounted combatants, using camels—or, if from Argelia, horses—to quickly travel and attack foes with swords and lances.  And for some reason, Fire Emblem loves to make a red and green pair, usually with near-polar opposite personalities.”

    “Nu știți jumătate din ea {You don’t know the half of it},” Jamal sighed.  “But we have low resistance and there’s a limit to our terrain abilities. So, brother, do you want to share our particular skills?”

    “I will,” Kareem said.  “First off, despite my flirtatious personality, Lady Janiya, I happen to be very Disciplined when it comes to combat.  It allows me to gain weapon experience and equip better weapons faster than other members of my caravan.”

    “Are you freaking kidding me?” Saiduq questioned.  “You have ‘Discipline’?”

    “We also have ‘Elbow Room’, allowing us to do extra damage if we fight on terrain that has no terrain effects, and Shelter, allowing us to basically pick up any unsupported unit and put them on OUR camels.”

    “…The two Romani get this stuff,” Saiduq said, almost offended.  Retaining his composure, he said, “And you also get to become either paladins and become even more powerful cavaliers, or great knights and gain armor and axes.”

    “Just like my stepmom!” Tawni smiled as she hopped out from behind the camels Jamal and Kareem had.

    “Were you there the whole time?” Janiya asked while Tawni cut the binds.

    “Maybe,” she shrugged before throwing down a smoke bomb, disappearing with Kareem and Jamal (plus their steeds) before being replaced by Cantara.

    “Lord Sulaiman?” Cantara asked.  “What am I doing here?”

    “Apparently representing wyvern knights, Miss Cantara,” Sulaiman answered.  “The only class in this section to not have a weakness to beast-slaying weapons but instead dragon-slaying weapons, and a flier on a not-fully sentient, smaller, unevolved dragon called a ‘wyvern’.  Luckily, manaketes don’t take too much offense to wyvern riders, these days. You use axes, right?”

    “Yes, we do,” Cantara said.  “We’re powerful, but we’re kind of fragile, especially against magic and… bows….”

    “Oh, right, I’m an archer,” Sulaiman said.

    “But anyway,” Cantara said, “We have the following skills:  ‘Tantivy’, ‘Lunge’, and ‘Bloodlust’. Tantivy increases our strength if we battle without allies close by.  Lunge allows us to switch places with an enemy when we attack them. And Bloodlust… well, every enemy we personally defeat gives us a temporary boost in strength, meaning we could realistically chain kills.”

    “Wow,” Barack said.  “I forgot wyvern knights could do that.  Well, their promotions to Wyvern Lord gives them lances, as does their bulkier Griffon Rider status.  But their Malig Knight status, made famous by Princess Camilla from Fates uses magic.”

    “Did someone call my name?” Camilla called.

    “Sorry, Princess Camilla,” Sulaiman apologized.  “We’re just using you as an example!”

    “I understand, Prince Sulaiman!” Camilla smiled.  She then went on her way.

    “Say hi to Princess Elise!” Ziba called.  At this point, Emerald, Rosetta, and Ria flew in.  “Oh, hi, Yasmin’s retainers!”

    “Hi, Lady Ziba and Lady Janiya,” Rosetta smiled.  “So, what’s going on?”

    “Well,” Janiya said, “you’re right in time to talk about pegasus knights.”

    “Oh, our group?” Ria asked.  “Well, talk about Lady Luck with timing.  But we’re fliers, like wyvern, griffon, and carpet riders, but we’re the ORIGINALS.  An all-female group, we may be physically fragile, especially against arrows, but we’re quick and we’re capable of fighting magic-units easily… when templars aren’t.”

    “We also use lances only,” Emerald said.  “At least, until we promote to either a Falcon Knight and get staves, a Griffon Rider and get axes and high defense, or Dark Fliers, and get magic, especially dark magic.”

    “But our skills are the ones that pay the bills!” Rosetta beamed.  “And Lady Yasmin is a generous paymaster!” She then rambled, “We have Darting Blow, which makes us faster when initiating a fight, Relief allows us to recover if allies are nearby, and Triangle Attack!”

    “What?” Sulaiman asked.

    “Triangle Attack is when three pegasus knights surround a foe on all sides, and then hit for a guaranteed critical hit,” Emerald said.  “But all three have to know the skill to be effective with it… Rose.”

    “I’m working on it!” Rosetta said.

    “Well I’m lucky enough to be ready for it,” Ria beamed.

    “But we should be careful setting it up,” Emerald advised, “as our enemies could hit us after we execute it.”

    “And that’s my cue to ask you all to leave, ladies,” Saiduq said.  “We have seven units left.”

    “Can I ask Benyamin and Yasmin to come back?” Ziba asked.

    “Go do that, Ziba,” Janiya said.  “It’ll allow us to talk dark mages, regular mages, clerics, and pastors.”

** All of the Just-Mentioned Magic Units **

    Soon enough, Benyamin, Nasira, Rafi, Lamia, and Adem stood on the stage.  Oh, and Yasmin was hugging Sulaiman, hearts floating above her head.

    “Aw, that’s adorable in this physically fragile line-up!” Nasira beamed.  “So, while they’re cuddling, shall we discuss our status as dark magi, Prince Benyamin?”

    “I’m having a difficult time placing your accent,” Benyamin said to the yellow-clad woman.  Turning back to the screen, he said, “As you can see, Orobian dark mages don’t flaunt as much fanservice as your regular dark mages from Plegia and Nohr.  We just don’t find it practical. But we still use dark magic the same and can hex with the best of them. Especially since our ability is ‘Hex’, which decreases the likelihood of an enemy right next to us will escape the wrath of an older brother/cousin trying to protect their little siblings and/or cousins.”

    “That explains why you seem to hit harder point-blank,” Yasmin said.  “And we’re not helpless, Ben!”

    “It’s a force of habit,” Benyamin admitted.  “It also explains my Anathema and Malefic Aura abilities!”

    “In plain Orobian,” Nasira said, “the former further decreases the likelihood adjacent and even close-by enemies will evade our spells, but also decreases the likelihood that they’ll avoid our skills.  And that’s not even mentioning the latter, which boosts the damage we do with magic.”

    “Okay, that’s scary,” Rafi frowned.  “What do you guys promote to?”

    “Well, while we both embrace magic as a Sorcerer and gain daggers and staves,” Nasira said, “I myself can become a Dark Flier with a black pegasus, and learn how to wield a lance.”

    “Meanwhile, we males can become Dark Knights, just like you male mages, young Rafi,” Benyamin said.  “You get a sword and a ground mount. Finally, Dark Mages of either sex get to be a class that hasn’t been seen since The Sacred Stones and was just edited in:  The Summoner. But that fully embraces dark magic to the point we can’t use any other type of magic tome, but also gives us staves.”

    “Awesome!” Rafi grinned.  “And all I thought we mages, the basic magical combat unit, were only good at dealing magic damage better than the rest of the non-genie classes, and had the best movement ability not-on-water or mountains.  Well, we also have Malefic Aura, but that’s like the last thing we learn. We have focus which boost the likelihood we’ll do critical damage if our allies aren’t close. And Future Sight, if we defeat the enemy, we’ll earn double the experience for it.”

    “Yes, that would do it,” Lamia said, adjusting her glasses.  “So, we covered two magi promotions, Dark Flier for women and Dark Knight for men, but we neglected to add they get dark magic this way.  You also have a male, axe-swinging War Monk or a female, sword-bearing Priestess for physical power and healing with staves, the unisex mounted healer and magical combatant the Strategist, or the unisex Enchanter, someone who studies light magic and wields daggers and staves.”

    “Like me!” Yasmin smiled.  “Lamia, do yourself, next!”

    “Well, Clerics and Pastors, like myself and Adem, here,” Lamia listed, “are your infantry healers.  We are better reliable when it comes to terrain that trips up troubadours, but we’re slower. We use exclusively staves until we promote.”

    “And except for our genders, we’re kind of interchangeable,” Adem added.  “We also can become Enchanters, War Monks, or Priestesses, but we also have access to Guardian, a staff-wielding, sword-wielding, armored advanced templar.”

    “It’s one of the only ways you’ll ever see a Poswali templar,” Lamia finished.  “We also have access to Strategist, as well, and gain camels plus tomes. But we also share similar skills:  Miracle will give us a chance to survive an otherwise fatal blow based off our luck, Healtouch to boost our healing power, and Rally Luck to boost our allies Luck at the precise moment.”

    “That about sums it up,” Adem said.  Tawni then showed up, looking tired.

    “So, who’s left, now?” she asked.

    “Well,” Sulaiman said, looking at his list, “we have Pirate, Ninja, Rouge, and Gypsy.”

    “I got you,” Tawni said, throwing a smoke bomb down.  Everyone but Sulaiman, Barack, Janiya, and Saiduq disappeared.  She then appeared with Howe, Guaril, Idris, Kaze from Fire Emblem Fates, and herself.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t have a ninja from Night of Tales ready,” she yawned.  “Wake me when it’s my turn.”  She then fell over, in Sulaiman’s arms and started sleeping, cuddling up to him.

    “What has she been doing?” Saiduq questioned.

    “I’m sorry, everyone, Guaril said.  “When we do our smoke bomb vanishes and appearances, we have a LOT of traveling to do.  She has run herself ragged.”

    “It’s alright,” Sulaiman said.  “What do we do about her sleeping, here?”  She held onto him tighter.

    “Ignore it, and keep the show going, milord,” Idris smirked.

    “Wait, with all due respect,” Kaze said, “why am I here?  I’m not even a playable character in Night of Tales.”

    “Tawni ran out of ideas when she was tired,” Guaril admitted.

** Pirates, Ninjas, Rogues, and Gypsies **

    “So, pirates first, huh?” Howe said.  “Honestly, not a lot separates us from barbarians… we’re male-only axe-wielding burly men, but we’re more durable than fast.  We also have the ability known as ‘Wave-Walker’, making us one of the only infantry units capable of traveling over water with no penalty… which is traded for the barbarian’s Orienteering.  As for our other abilities, we get Shelter and Gamble, a skill designed to give us high critical ability but decreases the likeliness we’ll hit.”

    “That kind of explains why you’re able to kill things so quickly in your latest chapter,” Janiya frowned.  “And why you kind have somewhat struggled. No wonder you’re the hardest campaign.”

    “Well, I’m not an ordinary pirate, since I’d normally promote to either warrior and get a bow, a privateer and get a lance, a swashbuckler and get a sword, stay focused on the axe to be a berserker, or we can become bards.”

    “…I thought the bard was a magic-class with the ability to refresh people with Sing,” Janiya said.

    “That was Genealogy of the Holy War,” Howe replied.

    “I thought they couldn’t fight at all,” Barack said.

    “That was Binding Blade and Blazing Sword,” Howe added.  “Here in Night of Tales, they get axes and daggers!”

    “Well, I’m not sure how Orobian ninjas work,” Kaze said.  “I know Hoshidan ninjas are quick, skilled fighters able to use shuriken or daggers to not only attack from slightly afar, but drain their enemies stats, while we also are highly resistant to magic and have Locktouch and Poison Strike, the latter which activates and adds an additional 20 percent damages when we initiate the battle but the enemy still lives.  It cannot outright kill.”

    “That is true of Orobian ninjas as well,” Guaril said.  “Or rather, Giussean and Xuhuan ninjas. “But ninjas of this world also have the ability Wave-Walker, allowing them to traverse over water.  You’d think they’d have Smoke Bomb, a skill rogues and gypsies have that decreases the likelihood we’ll be hit if engaged by an enemy, but ninjas are so quick they don’t NEED our smoke bombs to disappear, so props to you guys in Fates for having a good new class.”

    “Well, what promotions do ninjas have here, Sir Guaril?” Kaze asked.  “I have a feeling Puppeteer isn’t an option.”

    “It’s not,” Guaril admitted.  “Instead, ninjas of our world usually become assassins, which also use swords and bows, bounty hunters for the complete physical ranged weapon triangle, tricksters who have swords and staves, and either dread fighters for males who want axes and swords or dancers for females and gain swords and the ability to refresh units.”

    “Really?” Saiduq asked.  “Dancing kunoichi?”

    “Female ninjas are trained to seduce their targets,” Kaze said.  “Now, if we’re done for me, I must depart. No doubt my liege and my daughter are worried about me.”  He then disappeared with only a hand sign.

    “He’s a dad!?” Howe asked.

    “Deeprealms,” Barack answered.  “Although, to be fair, Midori is rather young.”

    “Please let me be in Heroes Book III!” Midori called.

    “My daughter’s rooting for you, Mighty Midori!” Guaril called.

    “Well, as for rogues,” Idris said to get back on track, “we, as well as our female counterparts, the gypsies, are dagger wielders and we’re physically easy to defeat if you can hit us.  But there’s a difference: with a rogue, we’re faster and we’re more skilled. But gypsies are luckier and have a higher resistance to magic. But like Kaze and Mr. Guaril said, both classes have Locktouch and Smoke Bomb.  But rogues have Fleet Footed, which increase the range of our movement and when we pair-up, our allies’ movement. Gypsies, meanwhile, have Demoiselle to inspire their male allies.”

    “Yes, my daughter draws attention from her male allies,” Guaril admitted.  “Almost every single male in our travels save for myself has feeling for my daughter… plus there’s my protectiveness of her.”

    “So what promotions do they have?” Barack asked.

    “Well, for both genders, there’s actually assassin, which we’ve covered, and trickster, which I am,” Guaril smirked.  “As you know, I use a sword… plus I use a staff to heal people. I’m a supporting leader, I’ll just say that. But rogues can promote to either Bard and get axes and the ability to sing to get their allies moving twice in one turn, or the Bounty Hunter… which we’ve covered.  But Tawni, were she an ordinary gypsy, would get either Dancer or Sorcerer.”

    “Well, that should cover every base class for humans,” Janiya yawned.  “I’m going to take a page out of Tawni’s book and nap, and then we’ll power through the human advanced classes.”

    “Good call,” Sulaiman agreed.  “We’ll see you all later. Sir Guaril, do you have another smoke bomb?”

    “I’m on it,” Guaril said, throwing one down, vanishing everyone.


	7. Classes and Skills, Part 2:  Advanced Human Classes and Skills

## "Classes and Skills, Part 2:  Advanced Human Classes and Skills"

    “And that’s the story of how I met my wife,” Barack said to Saiduq as they walked in with Janiya and Sulaiman.

    “That was an interesting story,” Janiya said.  “So your wife was a mau? Aren’t they cat people?”

    “Yes,” Sulaiman said.  “But they’re not going to be covered, here.  We’re covering the advanced human classes this chapter.”

    “For those of you who don’t know what ‘advanced human classes’ mean,” Saiduq explained, pulling out a Master Seal, “it’s for when a human takes one of these master seals and channel their power.  They then unlock a pathway to promotion in terms of power. Non-humans do this as well. So, without further ado, we’ll just get started with the hero, the captain, the swashbuckler, the privateer, dread fighter, and the janissary.”

    “It’s because all of those infantry classes kind of mix and match weapons from the basic melee physical weapon triangle, isn’t it?” Barack asked.

    “Which is why I bundled them together.”

** Hero, Swashbuckler, Captain, Privateer, Dread Fighter, and Janissary **

    “Well, the hero,” Sulaiman started, showing them on the astral plate, “is a sword and axe-wielding, more defensive-oriented, evolved mercenary or barbarian.  They are ultimately one of the ‘diet great lords’ of Fire Emblem, the other being the ‘captain’, which Commander Il-Hazaad here is.”

    “And we wield swords, whips, and lances,” Saiduq said, twirling his own lance.  “But we’re slightly more versatile than the standard hero. Quicker, too. And we can come from mercenaries, soldiers, and villagers.”  He stopped twirling, but then pointed to a swashbuckler on the astral plate with his lance. “Now, I know you probably looked at swashbucklers, and questioned what the difference was between them and heroes, who can come from mercenaries, barbarians, and pirates, and one of the only few ways a female mercenary can act like a pirate.

    “Well, swashbucklers are more offensive, for one.  Instead of the hero’s ‘Sol’ skill that lets them recover half of the damage they inflict depending on how skilled they are, swashbucklers get ‘Night Sky’, a skill designed to increase the damage by about 50 percent.  It doesn’t half the enemies’ defense or resistance, it just increases the swashbuckler’s attack… slightly different from Luna.”

    “So heroes have Sol,” Janiya said.  “What else do they have? Axebreaker?  That increases the hit and evasion rate the user when facing an axe-user.  Ooh, Captain Howe’s going to STRUGGLE.”

    “And finally, they have Rally Physical, which allows them to increase the attack and defense of nearby allies,” Barack said.  “Yes, heroes are pretty… heroic.”

    Saiduq chimed in, “Well, we captains also have Rally Physical, but instead of Axebreaker, we go with Whip-Snapper, which increases the likelihood that we’ll hit and avoid being hit by someone using a whip.  But we get Rend Heaven, an ability designed for the sole purpose of adding either half of the enemy’s strength or their magic to OUR attack power… depending on which one is their most prominent stat.”

    “I honestly thought it would be Swordbreaker,” Janiya frowned.  “Oh well, that’s wyvern lords.” She then said, “What about swashbucklers?  What do they have besides Night Sky?”

    “Swashbucklers get Wave-Walker, allowing them to traverse water, and Intimidation, which decreases nearby enemies’ strength and defense every time they defeat an enemy,” Barack said.  “Now, onto the privateer.” He pointed to the privateer on the astral plate. “These men are often either disgraced soldiers, raiding barbarians, or straight-up pirates who are given a government pardon for their crimes in exchange for service to the nation.  Captain Howe is technically one of these, but he operates differently and doesn’t use a lance, but just an axe. Other privateers use both. Now that we’ve cleared THAT up, onto the skills. Commander?”

    “Of course,” Saiduq said.  “Personally, I don’t like relying on these people, since they WERE mostly criminals or loose cannon soldiers.  But I can’t deny gaining access to Wave-Walker isn’t unwelcome for amphibious approaches. They too have Night Sky, but their best skill is Bloodlust, which for those who forgot, temporarily increases their strength for every time they defeat an enemy.”

    Barack then added, “Just an FYI, either of those two previously mentioned units who started out as a pirate with Wave-Walker, that second Wave-Walker they’d get immediately upon promotion will be replaced by ‘Sea Guard’, which increases their evasion when near or on water to the point that it’s suicide to fight one near a water tile.  Just as a fair warning so not to be redundant.”

    “So what about dread fighter?” Janiya asked.  “I know they’re male-exclusive, and if memory serves, rogues and male ninjas can become them.    How do they work, though?”

    “Dread fighters are units designed to be anti-magic, Princess,” Saiduq explained to her.  “Here, it’s because they wear small bits of orichalcum with their Iron Will to allow them to keep SOME flexibility.  They use swords, axes, and daggers, but move like ninjas. But their main ability in Aggressor, which always increases the attack power when they initiate battles.  Finally, they have Clarity, to reduce the duration of stat reductions by half. One must be careful when dealing with an enemy dread fighter.”

    “Or a janissary, our last unit,” Barack said, playing a clip of Kiral’s combat from the prologue.  “For those of you who played Fire Emblem Fates, this is Night of Tales’ Master-of-Arms class.  Makes sense that Janissaries can come from myrmidons or villagers, and can use ALL THREE basic weapons of the weapon triangle.  But their best part comes from their abilities Strength Seal, Life and Death, and Rend Heaven.”

    “Strength Seal being the skill that after battle they initiate, causes enemies to lose a bit of strength for a time, right?” Sulaiman asked.  “And Life and Death means they give AND take more damage.”

    “Yes, and yes.”

    “But Rend Heaven seems a LITTLE overkill.”

    “Just a smidge, yes,” Barack said.  “Alright, onto the dedicated classes!”

** Swordmasters, Berserkers, Sentinels, and Snipers **

    “Okay,” Guaril said as he placed down Say’ri, Hawkeye, Nephenee, and Takumi down, his clothes torn.  “You all do not want to know what I WENT through getting all of these people here. I’m going to drink an concoction I stole on my way here, and then I’m going to join your commentary.”  He then popped open said potion, and began drinking while Takumi looked in confusion.

    “Wait, why are we here?” he questioned.

    “We’re sorry, Prince Takumi,” Sulaiman said, “but Miss Tawni is still napping from all the running around she had to do to put everyone back when we were finished with our lore thing, and Sir Barack and Commander Il-Hazaad prefer to use live examples of your respective classes when lecturing our readers about  _Fire Emblem:  Night of Tales_  classes and skills.”

    “And that is my cue to leave,” Say’ri said.  “With all due respect, Prince Sulaiman, this is your people’s adventure, and I should focus on rebuilding Chon’sin….”

    “We understand, Lady Say’ri,” Janiya replied, “but just please humor us for five minutes?”  Say’ri sighed.

    “Fie, you win,” she said.  “Well, swordmasters, as one would expect, are myrmidons—or samurai, as preferred in Hoshido, Chon’sin, and this Xuhua place I heard some of my people went to—who fully dedicate themselves to the blade.  We have the abilities known as Astra and Swordfaire. Astra allows us to chain together five half-damaged hits for the cost of one weapon durability, while Swordfaire increases our strength when wielding a sword… not sure why we’d have that when we can only use swords.”

    “That is true and weird,” Saiduq said.  “But Orobian swordmasters get one more skill:  Bushido.”

    “Wait a moment, that’s my oldest brother’s Unique skill!” Takumi pointed out.  “Does it work in the sense that if supported by a unit who is either the same level or lower than his, they deal extra damage and take less damage, plus have a higher critical?”

    “Well, no to the increased damage and taking less damage, but they do have a higher critical rate,” Saiduq said.

    “Okay, so it’s not as broken, so small pass,” Takumi said.

    “So why am I here?” Hawkeye asked.  “Is this about my status as a berserker?”

    “Yes,” Barack said.  “And most berserkers, some of whom are barbarians or pirates who lose themselves in the fury of battle and love swinging their axes, have high strength and stamina, but low defenses.  But if they survive a heavy hit, may Rerci have mercy on their enemies. Because Wrath has been activated, increasing their critical rate with low HP. They also can Rally Strength of their nearby allies.  And finally, Axefaire, which does the same as Swordfaire, but for axes.”

    “Thank you,” Hawkeye said.

    “And you guys needed an example of a Sentinel?” Nephenee asked.  “You know, Prince Takumi here was probably with Oboro.”

    “I wasn’t about to try taking TWO people from Fates,” Guaril admitted before taking another swing of his concoction.  When he was finished, he said, “And even though there aren’t any female soldiers in Night of Tales, even though there should be, you’re usually the first people think of since as awesome of a unit Oboro is, you were technically the first.”  He then said, “Author, make female soldiers a thing.”

    “Alright, fine, female soldiers are now a thing after this chapter goes up, now please stop complaining,” the author typed.

    “You’re all welcome,” Guaril told the audience.  “Now, sentinels in Orobia have Speed Seal to reduce enemies’ speed, Lancefaire to increase their strength if they have a lance, and Impale.”

    “What does Impale do?” Janiya asked.

    “You know how most critical hits do triple the damage and can probably one-shot an enemy?”

    “Yes.”

    “Add a fourth time.”

    “…What the fudge, that’s overkill!  You’d have to be a GOD to survive that!”

    “Now you know why that skill hasn’t been seen since Radiant Dawn,” Guaril said.

    “Oh, right, I was broken back in that game,” Nephenee shyly smiled.

    “And that’s not evening Prince Takumi and the Sniper,” Sulaiman said.  “Snipers are dedicated archers.”

    “I know that,” Takumi said.

    “But you don’t know HOW dedicated Snipers are,” Sulaiman smirked.  “Atop of the fact that we Orobian marksmen can hit from one or two spaces away, how would you like a THIRD without having to have a longbow or Spy Yumi?”

    “Well, that would be pretty great.”

    “You get it with Deadeye.”

    “That’s great!” Takumi smiled.

    “You also get Bowfaire and Certain Blow, the former increasing your power with a bow, and the latter increasing your hit percentage if you initiate the fight.”

    “Seriously, why haven’t we met before today?” Takumi asked.

    “Because people would probably demand we fight, and you’d win,” Sulaiman concluded.  “Now, this would normally be the part where Miss Tawni, exasperated at the fact that Sir Barack and Commander Il-Hazaad had taken you all, would put you back.  But again, she’s asleep, so how do we send you all back…?”

    “I got it,” Anna said, walking in while pushing an Outrealm Gate.  “Okay, everyone in, you’ll be back home in no time.”

    “I’ll get the check book while you guys start with the next group,” Sulaiman groaned.

** Generals, Guardians, and Crusaders **

    “Damn it!” Janiya swore.

    “Milady, language,” Saiduq said.  Pointing to a general on the astral plate, he explained, “Generals are axe and lance-carrying armored units who were either knights, soldiers, or villagers given command of an army.  As the armor implies, they’re known to be incredibly physically defensive units who one can only truly best with either an armorslayer sword, a hammer axe, a heavy spear, a rapier, or magic.”

    “They can also make use of Luna, which decreases an enemy’s physical defense or resistance,” Barack said.  “Nothing special that we great knights can’t do.” He then added, “By that Rally Defense best boosts nearby allies physical durability, and Wary Fighter stops both themselves and enemies from dealing a second strike with the exception of brave weapons.”

    “Why was she so mad about this?” Guaril questioned.  “She’s a magi and a lord, so she’ll have rapiers. She can defeat generals no problem.”

    “Oh, that,” Saiduq said.  “It’s mainly the other two, since they’re anti-magic armored units who can throw off experienced players of Fire Emblem.”

    “Oh, right, guardians are either templars who decided to take up healing with staves, or clerics or pastors who want to have some defense and resistance when they took up the sword,” Guaril remembered, looking at the guardian, Dastan.  “The guardians have Wary Fighter, which we covered, plus a new ability called ‘Rally Durability’, which increases their defense and resistance. But of course, they have ‘Live to Protect’, which when they block an attack meant for an ally they are supporting, they heal half of the damage that would have been dealt.”

    “…That’s not fair,” Janiya growled.  “And the worst part is that one of the human villains of Cruibia is a crusader!”  She showed her first battle against Casval, ending in her getting stabbed in her arm.  “I actually LOST that fight!”

    “Calm down, Princess,” Saiduq said.  “Your bruised ego wasn’t the only casualty that day.”  He then said, “This is now an opportunity to learn about crusaders.  They can use tomes atop of swords, but they use light magic, which is powerful against dark magic, but vulnerable against anima magic.  But like all templars, crusaders are resistant against magic. They have the ability Armored Blow, which reduces the damage they take when initiating a battle.  They also have Shadow Repel, which reduces the likelihood a dark magic user is going to either land a blow or evade a blow. Thank goodness Lord Benyamin didn’t decide to use dark magic that day.  Finally, they have… Countercurse, which, if magic someone DOES hurt them, they’ll also hurt the magic-user. You were very reckless and lucky that the Neo Crusader’s commander didn’t have that skill, Lady Janiya.”

    “Yeah, just get a Heavy Spear, Armorslayer, or a Rapier, and use THAT,” Barack said.  “Well, want to change to cavalry?”

    “Please!” Janiya answered, frustrated with the topic.

** Great Knights, Paladins, Bow Knights, Strategists, and Dark Knights **

    “Guaril, I heard you wanted me here?” a chibi Akiba said as she rode in.  “What’s wrong, my love?”

    “Oh, nothing,” Guaril smiled.  “I just wanted another great knight here.  Even though we already have Barack, I just wanted something nice to stare at.”

    “Aw, you…” Akiba smiled, blushing.

    “I miss my wife,” Barack sighed.

    “So,” Sulaiman said, “great knights are usually either skilled cavaliers who wanted some armor or esteemed knights who wanted a steed to ride to get around their mobility problem.  Either way, most Fire Emblem games are usually nice enough to give you one early to rely on.”

    “Usually, they’re outpaced by almost every other unit in the game save for perhaps the Eyvel archetype,” Barack said.  “But even though I’m older than Akiba to the point that I have three young adult daughters, we’re both Oifrey archetypes because of how Paralogues work in Night of Tales.”

    “So, we have the following,” Akiba said, showing that they had Luna, Armored Blow, and Trample.  “I heard you all covered Luna and Armored Blow. But not Trample?”

    “Nope,” Guaril said.

    “Well, Trample, shared with Malig Knights, allows us to deal an extra bit of damage to units who don’t have a mount,” Akiba said.  “So, bring a mount unless you want a kick in the face by my camel if you want to fight me.”

    “Well, that’s one rider,” Janiya said.  “What about paladins? You’d think that by the name alone, paladins would be typical sword and shield bearing holy knights in shining armor who fought against the hordes of darkness… you know, like the hero.  But no, they’re experienced cavaliers or villagers on camelback riding into battle. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s worked multiple times throughout Fire Emblem, and even the yummy Camus archetypes are typically paladins.”

    “I keep forgetting you have a small girly girl streak,” Sulaiman said.

    “Look, I like some more feminine things, but other times, I’m one of the boys,” Janiya said.  “But I’ve heard Night of Tales’ Camus is going to not have a mount.  But back on less attractive topics, Orobian paladins have three familiar abilities.  First is Re-Move. After performing a non-fighting option, they can move again depending upon how much movement they have left.  But the other two skills are more defensive: Defender and Aegis. The former increases all stats save movement when the paladin is in the lead of a paired set of units.  The latter, meanwhile, halves damage from bows, tomes, whips and all stones.”

    “Oh right, all three stone-using tribes would count as monsters, which paladins would fight,” Sulaiman realized.  “But now, we get to my favorite of these cavalry: the bow knight.” Sulaiman showed a bow knight in battle. “While known to come from archers or mercenaries, these men and women are the best mix and match of melee and ranged physical mounted classes can expect without ranged swords or lances.  They also have slightly higher resistance, so they can ruin a mage’s day… and a dagger-wielder’s thanks to Shurikenbreaker, which allows them to fight dagger and shuriken wielders by limiting their dodging and hitting abilities. Their other abilities are Rally Skill to briefly increase allies’ skill, and Deadeye.”

    “Which increases attack distance for bows,” Janiya realized.  “Damn, these guys are good. Onto the two magic riders, the Strategist and the Dark Knight.”  Pointing to an image of Queen Kalia on her camel casting a spell, she explained, “Strategists are those troubadours, clerics, and mages who take to the back of mounts with staff in one hand, and magic tome in the other, both to heal and hurt, respectively.  You’ll usually see a woman in this role, but there have been males, which is the only reason the class is still no longer being called the ‘Valkyrie’ that it was before Fates.”  She then said, “Sulaiman, weren’t real Valkyries in Norse mythology pegasus riders?”

    “Some had pegasi, some had wings, and some had horses,” Sulaiman said.  “But they were all women… which is why our mothers’ mercenary group, when founded, was called ‘the Golden Valkyries’.”

    “Okay, seriously, someone make a prequel to Night of Tales,” Saiduq sighed.  “That way, these two calm down.”  Growing serious, he said, “So, Strategists carry into battle more skills designed to less support themselves but more support their allies.  Such as Rally Resistance, which boosts all nearby allies’ resistance for a moment. They also have True Supporter, which increases the effect of support bonuses when paired, regardless of whether they’re the leader or supporter.”

    “Go get them wins, Ziba!” Janiya said, pointing at a dummy with her cousin.

    “Wind!” Ziba called, pointing her staff at the dummy.  She blinked when nothing happened. “Um….”

    “Hey, Ziba, what’s that?” Janiya questioned, pointing at Ebony.

    “Is that Yasmin and Prince Sulaiman’s hawk?” the troubadour questioned.  Janiya pulled Hova out and blew away the dummy. Ziba looked back, and saw the dummy was destroyed.  “Awesome!”

    “Aw, that reminds me of what I initially did with Tawni when training her with daggers,” Guaril smiled.

    “I keep forgetting that you’re here!” Barack said.

    “Finally,” Saiduq finished, “they have Inspiration, which allows their nearby allies to deal slightly more damage and take less just by being near.  Yeah, the Strategist is pretty much your mascot. But the male-exclusive Dark Knight is someone to not be taken lightly.”

    “Whether regular or dark mages,” Barack said, looking at the image of a Dark Knight, “these men CHOSE to ride into battle and learned the way of the sword.  And these male riders unleash dark and regular magic. They come ready with Slow Burn, a skill that increases their likelihood of both hitting and evading every turn until they reach their peak around 15 turns.  They also have Magic Seal, like templars.”

    “Not fair they get to end engagements by reducing my magic power,” Janiya pouted.

    “You think that’s not fair, Princess?” Saiduq questioned.  “Wait until a Dark Knight defeats an enemy, and that’s when Lifetaker comes in.  They’ll get half of their stamina back.”

    “Oh that’s ridiculous,” Janiya said.  “So, we’ve covered cavalry. Let’s get to fliers.”

    “I guess that’s my cue to leave, Guaril,” Akiba said.  “I’ll see you when you’re done.” She then rode away.

    “Bye, cousin!” Ziba smiled as she rode the opposite direction.

    “Bye, Ziba,” Janiya smiled.  “So, how many people?”

    “I think we have five, again,” Sulaiman said, looking at the list.

** Falcon Knights, Dark Fliers, Griffon Riders, Wyvern Lords, and Malig Knights **

    “So, let’s start with the obvious,” Janiya said.  “Yes, falcon knights are, like dark fliers and griffon riders, an evolved form of pegasus knight, a female-exclusive class in Orobia… of which, I heard of there being MALE pegasus knights in Hoshido.”

    “We’re called ‘sky knights’ in Hoshido,” Subaki said while walking by into the Outrealm Gate.

    “You all do know I get charged every time that gate gets used, right?” Sulaiman complained.

    “We do,” Janiya replied.  “But anyway, falcon knights’ pegasi become falicorns by growing horns, and they themselves get to carry a staff for healing their allies.  They can also reclass from troubadours like my little cousin I like rubbing in Sulaiman’s face….”

    “Or my cleric best friend, Lamia,” Sulaiman countered.  “But they possess the skills Rally Speed, which boosts their nearby allies’ speed for a little while, Warding Blow to reduce the enemy’s magic power when they initiate the battle, and… are you kidding me?”

    “What?” Janiya asked, looking at the astral plate.  “Oh my gods, is that Lancefaire? Someone other than the sentinel has it!?”

    “Apparently,” Saiduq nodded.  “Well, it could be worse, they could be like Lady Lilah’s class, the Dark Flier, and have Galeforce.”  He then showed Lilah in action, and said, “Riding the rare black pegasus, a dark flier is a woman, usually either a mage, dark mage or a pegasus knight interested in studying offensive combat magic and dark magic on the back of a pegasus.  And wielding a lance. That Galeforce ability I mentioned is the main draw. Although mainly used by Awakening’s stat-loving metagamers as a breeding mechanic to produce broken child units, Galeforce allows a unit to not only move again after they defeat an enemy, but they can even ATTACK again.  It only activates once a turn, but imagine the chain.”

    “You know,” Janiya said, “it’s not because I don’t want to go through the act of being pregnant and having to give birth during a war, but I can’t help but wonder what the purpose of romantic supports in Night of Tales if I’m not going to have Dareh and Marketa until after this story is complete.”

    “…What?” everyone asked.

    “Yeah, I already picked out my kids’ names,” Janiya answered.  “They’ll most likely be twins.”

    “Well, that’s cute,” Guaril said.

    “What does your daughter want to name her child she’ll have after the war?” Janiya smiled.

    “Gunari.  It’s so close to my own name, I was touched.”

    “You… like children?” Sulaiman asked.

    “Yes, but I don’t want to have them right now,” Janiya said.  “Besides, you’ll probably knock up my sister before I settle down.  I want whatever kids you plan to have with her to have some company… do you know what you’d name them?”

    “If we have a daughter, we settled on Faita.  If it’s a boy, Mirko. If we have more than that, we’ll get back to you.”

    “Moving on,” Guaril said.  “Dark fliers also have Rally Skill, increasing skill for their close allies for a small time.  Finally, they have Countercurse.”

    “Well, I’m glad my policy of ‘just use bows on everything in this category’ will be in full effect,” Sulaiman smirked, showing off his bow.  He then showed a griffon rider from the Battle of Nourdari. “Up next is a promotion shared by both pegasus and wyvern knights, the griffon rider.  Yes, Orobia has griffons, and they have axe and lance-users of both genders riding them. They’re the bulkiest physically of all of the mounted fliers, but they’re suspect to a beast-slaying weapon as well as my go-to.”

    “You should look out for their Lancebreaker skill, Commander,” Barack advised.  “They’ll make it hard for you to keep up your status as the White Sand Devil since you’ll be easier to hit and they’ll be harder for you to hit.  And that’s not even mentioning the boost they get with Axefaire.”

    “Good advice,” Saiduq said.  “But we should make sure to engage them when they don’t have a passenger paired up with them.  Otherwise, their Deliverer skill will allow them to close the gap between you and themselves before you’re ready.”

    “Well, at least they’re not wyvern lords,” Janiya said, looking at the picture of THE Minerva from the original Fire Emblem.  “These tamers of dragons wielding lances and axes are stronger and sturdier than any pegasus knight, so props to them.  But they’re slower and a good mage may get lucky… I’m going to be using a lot of Hova when I get to Argelia.”

    “Oh right, Argelia has griffons and wyvern riders,” Sulaiman recalled.  “That means they’ll be familiar with Quick Burn. They start off borderline impossible to hit and will hit almost all the time, but if you’re patient, that will wear off.  It’s the one thing that won’t make them broken, considering their other two skills, Rally Defense and Swordbreaker.”

    “What the… Swordbreaker!?” Janiya frowned.  “But… wyrmslayers!”

    “Not going to work this time,” Guaril said.  “I’m working on something called a Scalepeeler dagger to get around that.  Until then, good luck dodging or hitting a wyvern lord if you lead with your sword, because not even Falchion will be a good option.  And their allies will be boosted in terms of defense.”

    “And now, we talk about the malig knight,” Barack said.

    “What about my class?” Camilla said, picking up a confused Janiya.

    “What the… why!?” Janiya questioned while Camilla hugged her.

    “Sir Barack, why did you ask Princess Camilla from Fates to come in, knowing that I have to pay for all of these cameos?” Sulaiman questioned.

    “She was the first person I found,” Barack confessed.  “Also, she agreed to do it for free if we agreed to help her pick an outfit out for this Orobian Nights Festival that I heard about.”

    “My sister invited you, didn’t she?” Janiya asked.

    “Well,” Camilla confessed, “me, Selena, female Corrin, Elise, Elise’s retainer Effie, Azura, and Princess Sakura and her female retainer Hana.  It’s a shame Beruka, Princess Hinoka, and her retainer Setsuna are all busy, but it’ll be like having a whole crowd of little sisters.”

    “By Rerci, I just realized they’re ALL younger than you,” Sulaiman said.

    “So, malig knights like yourself tamed evil wyverns, right?” Guaril asked while Janiya was put down.

    “Well, my dear Mariza isn’t really ‘evil’,” Camilla said while she petted said wyvern, who purred, “but I’ve been known to be the most… ruthless member of my family in battle.  But can you blame me? Whether it’s with axes or with magic, if you try to hurt my family or loved ones, I’ll kill you.”

    “Okay,” Guaril said, taking a small step away from her.  “So, we covered Trample, earlier, one of your class’ skills.  Now we’ll cover Savage Blow, which damages nearby enemies for a small bit after you initiate the battle.  Well, I guess roses have their thorns… and these are slightly longer thorns.”

    “True,” Camilla smiled.

    “But Orobian malig knights have one more, deadly skill,” Barack said.  “Behold Rally Power. They can boost nearby allies offensive capabilities… physical or magical.”

    “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Camilla said.

    “Well, I guess if you wait in the lobby,” Guaril said, “we’ll finish up here, and we’ll go shopping after we’re done.”

    “Can I have the gems you stole from Castle Krakenburg back?” Camilla asked, not losing her smile for a moment.  Guaril held up a small bag of gems, which Camilla took. Guaril tried to walk away, but Camilla added, “And the gold from Corrin’s room in the Northern Fortress.”

    “Nobody was even using that place!” Guaril muttered, handing her a second bag.  “How did you know!?”

    “A lady has to keep her secrets,” Camilla smirked.

** Warriors, Adventurers, Merchants, Bounty Hunters, and Assassins **

    “So,” Guaril said after Camilla left, “we keep finding five.”

    “I’m sorry, but it just happens,” Janiya said.  “So, this whole category has WHAT in common?”

    “Traveling bowmen,” Sulaiman said.  “First is the warrior, a master of physical green weapons with the bow and the axe.”  Showing a warrior in battle, Sulaiman smirked, “The only way to get a female one of these is if you have a female archer.  Otherwise, you have to settle for a pirate or barbarian.”

    “They’re physically strong and have high staying power, and kind of decent speed, defense, and skill.”

    “But a good magic blast can put them down,” Saiduq advised.  “Otherwise, they’d plow through your defensive walls like knights, generals, and paladins.”  He showed the astral plate skills. “First, warriors have Rally Strength, which I believe we’ve covered enough Rally skills for you to know where this is going.  Then, Direct Counter. It inflicts damage back upon an enemy who engages the warrior right next to them, meaning you’ll have to have a bit of range between you, have to have the warrior on death’s door, or be the second part of a dual strike to avoid triggering this.”

    “And finally, ‘Come Out to Play’,” Barack said.  He then showed a clip of the film, The Warriors, where Luther was clanging the bottles.  Stopping the clip, he answered, “Yes, we went there.  However, this taunt debuffs the enemy’s evasion and hitting ability at the cost of drawing aggression towards them.”

    “That’s a dangerous skill,” Sulaiman said.  “While a great tactician could pull it off, it can skill just as easily backfire.”  He then said, “Now, onto Adventurers.”

    “Ah, my fellow puckish rogues,” Guaril said while he watched an Anna exploring a set of ruins before finding a treasure.  “But instead of the sword, they love the bow. It makes sense, they used to be either apothecaries or explorers. But they still have the staff and can move about the battlefield.  Now, like us tricksters, they have Lucky 7, allowing them to start off with a near-perfect hitting and evasion until 7 turns in battle. They also get Pass, which grants them the ability to move by enemies when they’d normally have them boxed in.  I’m kind of jealous. But their real selling point is Clear Eye, which when selected to move, allows the player to see the ENTIRE battlefield if they wanted to, especially in fog-of-war maps that it’s kind of hard to see.”

    “Well, I fail to see how the merchant can compete,” Janiya said.

    “You can never have too many funds on a military campaign, Princess,” Saiduq advised as he showed their regular Anna selling her supplies.  “And all of their skills are perfect for gold and supporting the team.”

    “You guys are doing this on purpose, now,” Sulaiman accused.

    “Maybe~” Anna said.

    “Wielding a bow, a lance, and a staff for healing, merchants can defend themselves while on the road,” Saiduq said.  “And they can make a quick amount of gold with Profiteer. The higher their luck, the better chance during the first seven turns that they can find someone to sell their wares to for a gold bullion.  I’m still not sure whose trying to buy something in the middle of a battle, but alright. Oh, and the higher the luck stat, the better of a bullion you’ll get. But if you for some reason decide you don’t want to keep the bullion safe in your convoy and want to boost your merchant’s strength, defense, and resistance, Spendthrift is your best option.  It’s slightly safer than the janissary’s Life and Death, and the better the bullion, the better the trade-off in damage dealt and reducing damage taken. However, since reclassing isn’t an option here, it can’t stack with Life and Death.”

    “Okay, fine,” Janiya said.  “But suppose I don’t really care for Spendthrift.  Since I’m for some reason responsible for keeping the convoy during battle, I have to get all the way over to the merchant to save the bullion before the enemy decides to kill them for the money?”

    “No, because any merchant worth her salt has the Quick Convoy skill,” Anna winked.  “We too can access the convoy from ANYWHERE. And any of our allies next to us can do the same.”

    “Oh thank Rerci!” Janiya smiled.  “A sensible upgrade to merchants!”

    “And now, onto a class that is the janissary of the ranged physical weapon triangle,” Sulaiman said.

    “Alright, what’s going on?” Keyon asked.  “Why am I here… oh snap, royals.”

    “I’ve already extracted my pound of flesh from Captain Howe,” Janiya waved off.  “But we needed an example of bounty hunter, a man or woman if she’s an explorer who decided to hunt down criminals or whoever they’re paid to pursue.”

    “I do Capture people with a bow, a whip, or stunning them with my daggers,” Keyon said.  “But I was a rogue, not an explorer, archer, or ninja. With Capture, instead of killing or permanently wounding an enemy to the point they’re unusable, I can choose to defeat them but take them alive to be interrogated or converted to your cause.  But if you want to break your enemies’ pursuit of you for you to regroup, that would be the perfect opportunity to use an obstacle I made in camp or in town via Trapsmith.”

    “Wait, what?” Sulaiman asked.  “A skill that is completely passive to the point it doesn’t work in battle, but allows you to take materials and build them into traps at a smithy for a small fee?”

    Keyon justified, “Well we’re not doing accessories, and this only works at the smithy, and I have to pay to be allowed to work there, but the traps I make work better than the ones pre-made and sold at stores in towns.  But if you want an actual battle skill, it’ll cost you with Spendthrift.”

    “I cannot argue with that,” Sulaiman said.  “But we have one more unit to go over in this category:  the assassin.”

    “You called, Prince?” a chibi Sakaki asked as he appeared behind Janiya, making her jump.

    “What the—where did you come from!?” she questioned.

    “No, Sakaki,” Sulaiman chuckled.  “As skilled as you are of an assassin, we’re talking about the actual class, not your ‘job’.”

    “Oh, you mean the bow, sword, and dagger users?” Sakaki asked.  “I can still talk about those guys. They’re sneaks who, like me, are contract killers, usually coming from the gypsy tribes, rogues, myrmidons, or ninjas.  They have Pass to get by foes, Shurikenfaire to boost their knife-throwing skills, and their bread-and-butter, Lethality.”

    “Wait, Lethality?” Janiya asked.  “Isn’t that the skill that can one-shot an enemy depending on their skill level as long as the assassin can actually HURT the enemy?”

    “Yes,” Sakaki said.  “But thankfully for you all, it doesn’t work on lords.”  Both Sulaiman and Janiya sighed. “However, it also doesn’t work on certain enemies, so don’t expect to one-shot a big bad.”

    “Fair trade-off,” Saiduq said.  “But seriously, where did you come from?”

    “I’m his retainer,” Sakaki said.

    “I have more than Idris and Lamia,” Sulaiman admitted.  Sakaki then turned into his crow form, and then took off.  “Well, that ends this category.” He looked off-screen, and smiled, “And now, for something lovely to look at.”

    “Why do you say that?” Janiya asked.

    “Sulaiman!” Yasmin cheered, tackling her fiancée and cuddling him, hearts floating above her head.

    “Oh,” Janiya said.  “I keep forgetting my big sister was the only planned pre-promoted unit to be given to me at the start of my campaign.”

    “And she’s just part one of our next category,” Saiduq said to her.

** Enchanters, Sorcerers, Summoner, Servants, War Monks and Priestesses **

    “An entire category about infantry healers and magi,” Janiya said.  “Well, Yasmin, do you want to stop cuddling your husband-to-be and explain your status as an enchanter?”

    “Aw, fine,” Yasmin said.  “Well, as you see here, we enchanters use not only staves, but we use tomes.  And not just anima tomes that Uncle Kamyar taught me how to use, but light magic!  Light magic is good for fighting off fallen undead genies called ‘ghouls’, as well as dealing with Faceless, Risen, Terrors, and other monsters, as well as combating against dark magic.”  Unsheathing a dagger, she added, “Oh, and we can use daggers. Why? Well, Father said something about self-defense in case magic isn’t enough. Of course, I’m pretty bad with them. But otherwise, think of us like sages from earlier Fire Emblem games.”

    “Now that we have covered all of that,” Guaril said, “let’s talk your skills, Lady Yasmin.”

    “And then, we can talk about your daughter being an entertainer at my wedding!” Yasmin beamed.  “Well, it’s a little broken, but we have Flare. When it triggers thanks to my skill stat, I negate my foe’s resistance, and then I heal myself equal to the amount of damage I do.”

    “…Why haven’t you used that, yet?” Saiduq questioned.

    “I don’t like fighting,” Yasmin answered with a blush.  “That’s why I started as a cleric, I wasn’t really a mage, and I’m a girl so I couldn’t be a pastor.”  She cleared her throat before she continued, “And you guys covered Rally Magic and Tomefaire, right?”

    “We’ve covered enough similar abilities to know you boost your nearby allies’ magic power and you get stronger while carrying tomes,” Guaril assured her.

    “Good!” Yasmin smiled.  “I’m going to cuddle Sulaiman a little more, if that’s fine for everyone.”

    “Go nuts, we’ll talk Sorcerer and Summoner,” Janiya said.  While Yasmin went and embraced her love, Janiya showed a sorcerer, and said, “So, you probably looked at these two, and wondered what the differences are between them and Enchanter.  Well, Sorcerer is kind of easy, since you replace ‘light magic’ with ‘dark magic’, and you have the sorcerer instead of an enchanter. Also, instead of a cleric or pastor, you must have a dark mage… or a gypsy interested in cursing her enemies.  And the abilities are all about ruining someone’s day. First is Vengeance.”

    “So you managed to wound a sorcerer,” Saiduq said.  “But you failed to defeat them. You’re going to have problems if their skill is high enough, since half of the damage they have taken is now added to the sorcerer’s power.  Next is Bowbreaker, which is unfortunate for Prince Sulaiman since this means if he uses a bow against a sorcerer, he’s doomed. Finally, there’s Blood Magic, which allows the Sorcerer to sacrifice some of their own health to enhance their attack power.  Thankfully, this can’t be done if there’s not enough HP left in them to truly enhance their power, but it kind of reminds me of old Fire Emblem games before the invention of magic tomes the channel magic through.”

    “And that’s before we even talk about the Summoner,” Barack said, looking at the summoner.  “Exclusive to dark mages, this promotion embraces the darkness even more than the Sorcerer… to the point that they can no longer use anima magics like Fire, Wind, and Thunder.  They can’t use daggers, either. But they can use staves. Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘just use Lady Yasmin or some other unit carrying light magic to solve this problem’.”

    “I’m useful!” Yasmin smiled.

    “But that’s kind of dangerous, since they TOO have Flare,” Barack warned.

    “I’m squishy, though,” Yasmin frowned.

    “And that’s why you’ll be careful,” Janiya told her sister.  “Now, next up is… Blood Magic? Again? Seriously dark arts, stop worrying me.  Finally, they have… Summon? What’s this?”

    “Well, sacrificing some of their health, they can call forth creatures to aid them in battle,” Sulaiman said, still hugged by Yasmin.  “Depending on the amount of HP used, the creatures called forth will vary. Some summoners, I’ve heard, can even call forth ghouls.” He shuddered at that.

    “It’s okay, Sulaiman, I’ve got you,” Yasmin said, petting him.  “I won’t let anyone bind your soul and then turn you into a ghoul if I can help it.”  She then looked to the side, and said, “That goes for you too, Dark Sulaiman.”

    ‘…I can see why my good side loves you,’ the dark Sulaiman acknowledged.  ‘But don’t forget the other classes on the table.’

    “Oh, right, Servant, Priestess, and War Monk!” Yasmin smiled, showing them on the astral plate.  She then said, “Okay, seeing as the latter two are pretty much the same class, but with slight differences, we’ll cover the servant, first.”

    “That must be my cue,” a chibi Caspar said.  Bowing to Janiya, he smiled, “Lady Janiya, I’m happy to inform you that Payam has gotten over the fact that you are adorable in this style.”

    “Oh thank Rerci, I was kind of worried about that,” Janiya sighed.  “You never want to break your best friend.”

    “At least until you’re married to them,” Elahe said while sticking her head in.  “And the wedding night when you’re on top, milady.”

    “Too much information!” Janiya said while blushing.  She then asked, “Wait, why are you here, Elahe? We’re covering genies with the rest of non-humans next time.  We only started with humans these two chapters because there are WAY too many human options.”

    “Because Caspar’s here,” Elahe answered, hugging Caspar.

    “I can still inform people that servants, a ‘catch-all’ for butlers and maids’ from Fire Emblem Fates, is a cleric, pastor, or troubadour who have dedicated themselves to the protection of their master or mistress through daggers and healing them with staves.  Lady Janiya, duck.”

    “Okay?” Janiya said, doing so.

     ** _THUNK!_**

    Everyone looked to see a now dead assassin on the floor, almost everyone but Caspar surprised.  “What?” Janiya asked.

    “I quite literally Live to Serve,” Caspar smiled.  “It allows me to heal myself as much as the ally I heal.”

    “That has nothing to do with that,” Janiya said.  “How did you know that assassin was there for ME!?”

    “Oh I’ve been tracking down these types of gnats for a while, now,” Caspar said.  As if to prove his point, a scream went off in the background, followed by an explosion.  “I have to thank Keyon for his ‘flycatcher’. Perhaps the next time he’s injured, I’ll be lucky and my Staffcare ability will allow me to heal him without losing a charge in the staff.  Or perhaps he’ll need my Tomebreaker to deal with magic-users.”

    “Okay, Caspar, we really need to talk about this ‘extermination’ thing if it means that you’ve been killing assassins while I thought that you were dealing with the ‘rat problem’,” Janiya said.

    “Oh, it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, ladies,” Caspar insisted.  He then grabbed the dead assassin’s legs, and began dragging the body. “I’ll clean up the blood later, I promise.  Oh, and Prince Sulaiman, Lady Yasmin, please move ten meters to the right.” He then cut a rope as he left.

    “Alright,” Sulaiman said as he and Yasmin moved.  An assassin jumped out…

    ** _SNAP!  CRASH!_**

    Sulaiman now looked at the destroyed piano, and the dead assassin under it.  “…How long was that hanging over me?”

    “How about we move onto Priestesses and War Monks?” Yasmin nervously said, showing the two classes.  “For the former, they’re female-exclusive but use swords atop of tomes and staves. The latter uses axes instead of swords.  But they both typically come from clerics, pastors, or normal magi. But they have all the same skills.” She showed the astral plate, which had the skills.  “First is Renewal, which allows them to automatically heal at the beginning of every turn. Next is Rally Luck, which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what it does.  Finally is Countercurse, which allows them to, well, counter magic.”

    “So, in short, use a sword to fight these people,” Saiduq said.  “So, let’s clean up the stage, and then continue.”

    “Yes, things have gotten rather hectic.”

**-Cleaning Up the Stage-**

    Thanks to the power of lazy transitions, genie magic, and comedy, the stage was now fixed.  “Alright,” Sulaiman said, “so while we were cleaning, I noticed only a few more classes were left, Sir Guaril.”

    “Really?” Guaril asked.  “Which ones?”

    “Trickster, bard, and dancer,” Yasmin said, holding the list.

    “Oh, well, that’s simple,” Guaril said before cracking his neck.  “Let’s do this.”

** Tricksters, Bards, and Dancers **

    Guaril began playing his flute, while the others looked at him.  Guaril then threw down a smoke bomb. From it, emerged several members of his caravan playing instruments or dancing, including a bard and a dancer woman.  But Guaril himself wasn’t seen. At least, until he appeared behind Saiduq, and began singing.

     _“You asked for knowledge of we dashing rogues?_  
    Well consider yourself made aware!  
    For stories and tales of our skills and feats,  
    you’ll find the price is rather fair!”

    Everyone from the caravan began dancing, while Saiduq questioned, “Really?  You’re doing a song? There HAS to be an easier way of giving us a basic rundown of your classes.”

    “Easier?” the female dancer smiled.  “Yes. But more fun? I don’t think so, soldier.”  She cleared her throat.

_“The dancer is normally a gentle maiden,_  
    who tell stories through her fluid grace!  
    Whether she was a humble gypsy or a coy kunoichi,  
    You’ll never know behind her pretty face!

_“She might be rather physically frail,_  
    Out of place with the dagger and sword,  
    But a dancer will sidestep magic,  
    And helps moves the army forward!

_“The most famous of the refresh classes,_  
    Before the day of battle is through,  
    Any tired unit who sees her inspiring Dance  
    Cannot help but turn one move right into two!

_“As she grows accustomed to the madness of war,_  
    she’ll learn another powerful move.  
    Those who bare witness to her Riveting Step,  
    she give her allies a well-timed stat boost!

_“Stories of the maiden’s beauty and grace_  
    will soon be worldwide told.  
    With some luck, her Allure skill  
    will cause her foes to become friends bold!”

    “So if I got that last verse right,” Saiduq concluded, “the dancer can make enemies become allies temporarily with her dancing skill.”

    “Yep!” a bard said.  “But she’s not the only one!”

    “Oh Rerci, you do it, too,” Saiduq said.  Realizing the bard was about to sing, the commander turned to the trickster, and pleaded, “Guaril, please call off your caravan—”

    _“Introduced in the_ Holy War  
    but not truly seen since the Blazing Sword,  
    reimagined as either a rough thief or burly pirate,  
    the bard returns sing a full new chord!

_“Heaving both a mighty axe and sheathing a sharp dagger,_  
    The bard is a hearty man of strength you should trust,  
    While magic may confound him this round,  
    He’ll push the whole army ahead if he must!

_“Spotting a weary soldier resting_  
    with enemies on their way,  
    the bard Sings a powerful song  
    to push the soldier to leap back into the fray!

_“As the war goes on, the bard learns songs_  
    to keep his goods friends moving and alive,  
    he’ll boast out a Mighty Ballad that raises power  
    that’ll encourage the listener to truly thrive!

_“All throughout this wild world,_  
    Crowds flock from far and wide  
    to listen to his Alluring voice,  
    and watch the bard turn enemies to his side!”

    “Please tell me this is done!” Saiduq said.  “Really, Guaril, you could just TELL us! You Romani don’t have to make a performance out of this!”

    “Actually, we do,” Guaril said as he flipped in front of the bard and dancer.  “When we’re not stealing, traveling, or fighting for coin, we’re performers by trade. We can’t help ourselves!”  He then sang as well.

     _“Whether a rogue, a gypsy, or a ninja,_  
    The trickster is the true master thief!  
    Usually the leader of we Romani clans,  
    I promise to keep our glory brief!

    _“With dagger in sheath, sword in hand,_  
    and staff upon my back,  
    although rather physically vulnerable,  
    versatility I do not lack!

     _“I know we’ve covered Lucky 7,_  
    But in case you all forgot,  
    The first seven turns any attempt  
    To harm me is for nearly naught!

     _“I know through the harsh desert_  
    There exists multiple forms of harsh terrain.  
    But for us with the skill Acrobat,  
    All of it is just rather plain!

     _“Finally, we all know that_  
    Being caught is an eventuality.  
    Once exposed, of course we have no choice  
    But to take refuge within our Audacity!”

    “Wow, you guys are rather dedicated,” Barack commented.

    “Okay, that last one sounds new, but that verse did very near nothing to explain it,” Janiya said.  “Can someone please explain in plain Orobian?”

    “It means that tricksters, when initiating a battle, have a chance of using their large skill stat to completely negate any chance of the enemy counterattacking… but doing 1.5 times damage,” a female voice sleepily answered.  Everyone looked to see Tawni, wearing her pajamas, walking in while leaning on Howe and holding her chibi rabbit.

    “Miss Tawni, what are you doing here?” Sulaiman asked.

    “I heard Father was doing a performance,” Tawni said, cuddling her bunny.  “You guys did all of this without me?”

    “Sorry, Tawni,” the whole group said.

    “So, I slept through this whole part?” Tawni asked.

    “Looks like it,” Howe said.  Guaril smirked, and had one more verse.

     _“So now the fans of this tale_  
    Know all the human advanced classes!  
    Join us next chapter for the non-humans,  
    Provided Saiduq doesn’t kick all our asses!”

    He then threw down a smoke bomb, sending himself and all of his members of his caravan save for Tawni away.

    “So you learned from the best,” Howe observed.

    “Yeah, that’s my dad,” Tawni smiled.  She then threw down her own smoke bomb, sending everyone else off the stage.


	8. Classes and Skills, Part 3:  "Non-Human Classes and Skills"

## "Classes and Skills, Part 3:  Non-Human Classes and Skills"

    Sulaiman, Janiya, Saiduq, and Barack walked onto the stage.  However, when they got there, two giant cats were sitting there.  “Girls?” Barack asked. The cats then beamed.

     **“Daddy!”**  they both called.  Both cats then pounced on him, purring affectionately.

    “So these are your daughters,” Sulaiman said.  “I didn’t think we’d ever see stone-users other than manaketes in this style.”

    “They’re adorable,” Janiya said after firing up the astral plate.  “And this is a great segue into what we’re doing today: going into the beast, bird, manakete, and genie units of Night of Tales, including their skills!”

    “Girls,” Barack said as he petted them, “I need to get to work.  Do you mind?”

     **“Aw,”**  both said, backing up.  They then turned into humanoid forms, one being a brunette, and the other being a redhead.  The brunette had short hair in a bob haircut, and wearing a red sleeveless shirt and brown leggings.  The redhead had mid shoulder-length hair that was slightly wild, and wore a white bedlah top and matching skirt.  Both had brown cat ears and long tails, but tanned skin and green eyes like their father.

    “So we’re starting with beasts, right?” Saiduq questioned.

** Beast Tribes:  Mau, Jackal, and Bats **

    “Wait, what’s that, Daddy?” the brunette questioned, looking above at the title of the section.

    “That, Abia,” Barack said, “is letting the reader know we’re talking about what combat class you’d be considered if you were a fighter… which you’re not.”

    “Oh, you mean that I’m a mau because of Mommy?” the brunette, Abia, questioned.

    “As you can see, ladies and gentlemen,” Saiduq said, “beast units are very interesting and very powerful.  The beast tribes of Orobia are based off real-world mammals associated with your ‘Middle East’ region… and bats, because they’re everywhere.  Beaststones are associated with the ‘green’ area of the weapon triangle, which means they can take down wingstone-using birds and have to run from the dragonstone manaketes.  Oddly, a subtype of genie, the nasna, is able to wield beaststones without beast blood, but they can only wield one particular type. But all beaststone-users share the common weakness of being suspect to any weapon that can slay beast units or cavalry.”  Both of Barack’s daughters nodded. “Ironically, they all get Beastbane, which deals extra damage to those types of units.”

    “So we’d be strong against ourselves and our dad since he rides his camel?” the redhead asked.  “How does that work?”

    “Well, my little Sabeen,” Barack said, “I hate to say it, but seeing as you’re… well, closer with your instincts than the average human, you know how to better fight animals than most.”

    “Wait, she’s your youngest?” Saiduq questioned.

    “She gets away with a little more than me and Ayve,” Abia explained.  “I’d never pull off that outfit.”

    “Onto more pressing matters for the reader than my reluctance at your outfits even though you’re young adults,” Barack said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “we’ll start talking about maus.  Yes, all three of my little girls are maus. No, I don’t have a problem, I can love whomever I want, I’m a consenting adult.” He then placed hands on his daughter’s heads, and continued, “Despite these two looking rather frail, they’re more skilled than they look.  And quick, too, aren’t you, girls?”

    “Yes we are, Daddy,” Abia answered.

    “And we’re good Orienteers!” Sabeen smiled.  “We can travel over mountains and through forests almost no problem.  It’s where you met Mommy, right?”

    “That’s right,” Barack said.  “But don’t forget your other skill, Hunting Instinct.”

    “Where we have a higher chance of scoring a critical when fighting in forests or mountains,” Abia answered.  “And this isn’t talking about our promotions, lynx and lion.”

    “Oh, right, Orobian beasts, birds, and manaketes all get multiple advanced classes,” Saiduq said.  “So, what’s the differences?”

    “Well, lynx are far more agile and luckier, plus they get to use whips,” Sabeen said.

    “What?” Janiya asked.  “You guys get to use actual weapons?”

    “Only upon promotion, and only because we’d NEVER keep up with the manaketes and genies otherwise,” Abia replied.  “But lions get more defense and attack power, and they get swords and staves.”

    “Again, what?”

    “Let’s start with the advanced skills,” Sabeen said to change the subject.  “Fun fact, the promotion only really serves to choose what second weapon and stats we’ll be focusing on, since the skills are all the same.  The first we get is Nine Lives. Until nine turns have passed, there is a stronger chance that any hit that would be fatal will be survived if we’re lucky.  Then, we get Wing Breaker, which improves our hitting and evading when fighting units with wings. Finally, like all beasts, we get Grisly Wound.”

    “Which means our foes will be taking a little extra damage even IF we don’t initiate,” Abia said.  “As long as both parties survive the fight, they’ll hurt a little more.”

    “Good girls,” Barack said, petting them on their heads and making them purr.  “Now, onto your counterparts, the jackals.” As if on cue, a giant dog ran in, looking around.  Both Abia and Sabeen yelped, and scrambled behind their father, shaking. Barack reached his hand out, stopping the dog, and lowered it, causing the dog to follow his motions.  The dog whimpered, but then turned back to a humanoid boy with long gray hair and soulful blue eyes.

    “Sorry,” the boy pouted.

    “The jackal is a dog-like beaststone shifter who is rather… excitable, to say the least,” Saiduq said.  “They’re tougher than the mau, but they’re not as ‘graceful’. Aren’t you, boy?”

    “Not really,” the jackal boy said.  “But we’re interested in shiny things, which is why we have Digging Frenzy.  On soft terrain like desert, thick terrain like forests, or rocky terrain like mountains, there’s a chance we’ll dig up some materials for you after our turn’s done.  But there’s also Retriever, where if we defeat a foe, we’ll bring you back a weapon based off their class.”

    “Okay, wasn’t expecting that,” Saiduq said.  Looking at his cohort, he said, “Are your daughters calm, now?”

    “I think so,” Barack said, looking at the two.  “Girls, it’s okay. The boy is just a jackal. He’s not a dagger-wielding Anubis or a sword-swinging greyhound.”

    “I take it those are the promotions?” Janiya asked, looking on the astral plate at the giant black jackal with the headdress and holding a dagger on one side, and the grey dog holding a sword but happy on the other side.  Abia and Sabeen let out a massive scream, and climbed atop of Sulaiman and Barack, respectively.

    “Daddy, make the images go away!” Sabeen said, throwing a useless beaststone at the image, fazing harmlessly through it.

    “Are you girls really that terrified of dogs?” Sulaiman asked, looking at how terrified they girls were.

    “My daughters had, when they were ‘kittens’, a bad incident with a neighbor’s dog when they first got their beaststones,” Barack said.

    “Wait, that was you girls?” Sulaiman asked, looking up at Abia.  “I thought you looked slightly familiar in your beast forms running through Mother’s garden chased by that giant dog.”  He played a clip of a young him, a young Lamia, a teenage Aladdin, and a horrified Farah, all watching as three young mau kittens screaming while running from a giant dog, who looked like she was having a great time ripping through the garden.

    “Oh Rerci, not my pumpkins!” Farah screamed.  The next thing they knew, both she and Sulaiman were splattered with pumpkin guts, mainly because Sulaiman tried to shield Lamia from it while Aladdin moved back just in time.  Lamia blushed when she realized how close she was, while Aladdin looked back behind him.

    “Sir Barack, I think we found the kittens,” Aladdin called.  “Also, we found Sir Koroma’s dog.” He then had to dodge tomato splatters that got on Sulaiman.  “Sorry, little brother.”

    “We’re sorry,” Abia apologized.

    “Well, moving on,” Saiduq said.  “Anubis is the surprisingly physically sturdier of the two classes, but can be taken down with magic.  Meanwhile, the greyhound is actually stronger than an Anubis. But like the mau’s promotions, the skills are the same.  They get Bloodhound, where if they defeat an enemy, they deal extra damage to nearby enemies even if the enemy initiated the fight.  They also get Threatening Howl, which decreases the close enemies’ defense and resistance. And we covered Grisly Wound.”

    **“And now, onto my clan,”**  a male voice said.  Everyone looked up to see a chibi Vladimir in his bat form hanging upside down.  He then stopped hanging, before flying down, and turning into his regular humanoid form.  Janiya very quickly turned away from him.

    “Nope, not doing this, nope!” she said, walking off-screen.  “Call me back when the vampire’s not here!”

    “Why does everyone assume I’m a vampire?” Vladimir asked.  “I mean yes, the bat clan of beasts take after vampires of legend, specifically Dracula with our Dracul promotion when we get daggers and I know we get Lifetaker when we promote, but why does that matter?”

    “You’re not exactly softening the stereotype that you’re a monster!” Janiya said.  “Especially considering the fact that you and Howe had the most brutal kills of your crew during the Battle of Nourdari!  But you’re also kind of handsome outside of beast form and you hate sunlight, so you’re kind of fulfilling the ‘vampires are attractive’ tropes!  But I’m not falling for it, since I KNOW BETTER!”

    “…Oh,” Vladimir said.  “Alright. Well, we bats are strong and quite skilled, but we’re fragile.  But we have Clear Eye to deal with that pesky fog-of-war in case an adventurer isn’t nearby.  We also have Critical Drain, where every time we trigger a critical hit, we absorb half of the damage we do to our victims.”

    “Again, not helping!” Janiya called.

    “Well, I guess mentioning that our other promotion, the succubus, is probably not going to help, either.  We get access to tomes and dark magic, and we’re faster than the Dracul, but the Dracul better resists magic.”

    “Nope!” Janiya replied.

    “Well, I’ve already said we have Lifetaker, which allows us to heal after defeating an enemy,” Vladimir said.  “But there’s also a new skill: Allure. Depending on our luck, we can cause our enemies to turn into temporary allies.  But the biggest trade-off for all of these bloody good skills is that we’re the easiest to take down if you’re smart.”

    “Yes, Princess Janiya,” Sulaiman smirked.  “You have Hova, and I have my bow. Of course, if you carried a wolf tome, a rapier, or a zanbatō, you’d have an easier time as well.  But if I had a hunter’s bow… yes, I’d have a field day against them.”

    “Well, I believe my work is done,” Vladimir said.  “I bid you all good day.” He then turned into his beast form, and then grabbed the jackal boy, and flew away.

    “Should we be concerned that he just kidnapped a child?” Janiya asked.

    “I’ve already got my best people on it,” Barack said while putting his daughters down.  “Now, then, what to do about you girls?”

    “Daddy, can we stay for the rest of this lore entry, please?” Sabeen asked.  She activated her beaststone, and turned into her cat form, looking up at Barack with soulful eyes.  Abia joined her.

    “Oh fine,” Barack said.  “Only because the next category will amuse me.”

     **“Awesome!”**  both cheered, cuddling him.

    “You spoil them, Sir Barack,” Sulaiman said with a smile.

** Bird Tribes:  Falcons, Rocs, and Crows **

    “Did someone say ‘crows’?” Sakaki asked as he flew in with Ria and a regular falcon woman.  The three then blinked when they saw the two maus. “Oh, I see what you did there, Sir Barack.”

    “Good, we’re on the same page,” Barack smirked.  “Girls, play with the crow man.” With that, Sakaki turned into his crow form and had to fly from the two maus.

    “Do I want to know the context of why you just unleashed your daughters upon your travel companion and strategist?” Janiya questioned.

    “Do you want to know why I had to shave my camel?” Barack asked.  “Pink. Fur. Because of that prankster.”

   **“I said I was sorry!”**  Sakaki replied while flying by, with Abia and Sabeen after him.

    “I told you when you’d least expect it, I’d get you back!” Barack called over the chaos.  He then said, “So, while that’s happening, care to explain your races, ladies?”

    “Um, okay,” falcon said.  “Well, I am a falcon bird-folk, and proud of it.”  Flapping her wings lightly, she smirked, “Falcons are faster and stronger than the other two bird classes, but it comes at the price of durability.  But with wingstones that count as blue on the weapon triangle, are able to confound manaketes but are weak to beasts.”

     **“I’ll say!”**  Sakaki cried as he continued to be chased.

    “One of our skills that we share across all bird types is Wingbane, which allows us to do super effective damage against flying units,” the falcon continued.  “Another shared skill for advanced bird units is Featherweight, which allows them them to guarantee getting a second attack off as long as they don’t have anyone supporting them.  But falcon specific skills? Well, that’s interesting. I think Father said he had Even Flaps, which boosts his evasion and hitting chances on even turns. He also said he had Whipsnapper, which allowed him to have far more increased odds against whip-users.”

    “And this is before we factor in eagle or buzzard,” Janiya said.  “Those are the promotions for falcons, right?”

    “Yep,” the falcon nodded.  “Eagles get bows and higher skill with the Bowfaire skill, while buzzards are given lances, better attack power, and Lancefaire.  But that’s where the differences end. Both get Even Better to boost offensive power on even turns, and we already covered Featherweight.”

    “So I guess I have to touch on rocs, then,” Ria.  Showing off her short, gentle brown wings, she smirked, “Rocs are all-around tanks compared to other birds in the series to make up for my pegasus knight rather poor defenses.  I’ve checked the Tellius games’ birds, and none of hold a candle to our magical resistance or sturdy defenses. We’re tougher than most birds. Being one of the slowest units in the game is just a small price to pay.  One of our first skills is Knockback, where if we initiate a fight, we can blow back our enemies one space to give us some Elbow Room. We covered Wingbane, but we also get Odd Flaps, which is the odd form of Even Flaps.  But we get Rally Durability as part of our promoted classes, the thunderhawk and the phoenix.”

    “I’m sorry,” Janiya interjected, looking at the astral plate at the two mentioned birds, “but did you just imply that your promotion from one mythological bird is to become one of two OTHER mythological birds?”

    “Yes.”

    “…Explain the differences.”

    “Well, the Thunderhawk is the more offensive one, getting a boost of magic power and the ability to use tomes.  They also get Shock Absorber, which means they’re not only immune to electric magic and weapons like Pillansufa, but they HEAL from it.  Phoenixes like my father get staves, a boost to their resistance, and the ability Reborn from Flames, which does a similar trait to Shock Absorber, but with fire weapons and magic.  But both classes get Better Odds, the opposite of Even Better, and Featherweight.”

    “Can I stop running, now!?” Sakaki questioned.

    “…Alright, fine,” Barack said.  “Girls, you can stop.” Both Sabeen and Abia stopped immediately, allowing Sakaki to collapse and revert to his humanoid form.

    “Thank the gods….” Sakaki groaned.

    “Perhaps, seeing as you’re my retainer, I should start for you,” Sulaiman said.  Turning to the reader(s), Sulaiman said, “Crows are the oddballs of the bird trio.  But if I had to compare them to typical RPG roles, the falcons are the fighters, the rocs are the magi, and the crows are the straight-up thieves.  Unfortunately, for their excess speed and skill, they’re the least lucky of the thieves. They have Locktouch, which I’m sure you know by now means that they can unlock doors and chests which needing a key.  Which means because I have no less than three thief-like characters in my party, I’m going to have a map where my crew is going to be stealing everything not nailed down.”

    Idris called off-screen, “But I thought Miss Tawni’s next chapter is going to be doing more of that.  She already did it, before!”

    “You guys get to do so, again,” Sulaiman promised.

    “Please have a bunch of gold lying around!” Idris prayed.

    “Every campaign except for mine seems to have a thief,” Janiya noticed.

    “The next skill they get besides Wingbane is Luck Seal,” Sulaiman continued.  “This reduces their enemies’ luck stat after battle, which can help reduce the enemies hit and evasion ability as well as increase the odds a crow can better score a critical hit.”

    “And that’s before we get to scarecrow or nevermore,” Sakaki smirked, popping up from behind Sulaiman.  “The scarecrow may be sturdier and have axes and the ability Intimidation to reduce nearby enemies’ attack and defense when they take down a foe, but I prefer the nevermore.  Daggers, attack power, and the ability Unnerve to reduce close enemy’s magic and resistance when I take down a foe sounds a little better. We also get Featherweight, but a shared skill among promoted Crows is Rally Movement, where we get our nearby allies a little bit of a movement boost for a turn.”

    “Thanks, Sakaki,” Sulaiman said.  “You’re free to go.” Sakaki bowed and then flew away, followed by the roc.

    “Alright,” Ria said.  “I have to go help back at the inn, anyway.  See you later, Lady Janiya!” She then flew away as well.

    “Well, we’re actually halfway done,” Saiduq said.  “I guess we have the two races who used to be considered full-fledged gods, left.”

    “You mean manaketes and genies?” Barack asked.  “Well, I suppose we can start with the manaketes, since most Fire Emblem veterans are familiar with them.”  All of the sudden, the ground rumbled.  “M’lord, do you have Taryn out?”

    “No, I don’t,” Sulaiman replied.  The ground then burst open with Adre in her dragon form towering over them all.  She then returned to her humanoid form, where she wrapped her arms around Sulaiman and Janiya.

    “Hi, my little blood sisters’ kids!” Adre smiled.

    “Hi, Aunt Adre,” Janiya groaned.

** Manakete Tribes:  Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water **

    “So, we’re talking manaketes, huh?” Adre said.  “Makes sense you’d probably want a manakete around.  But for those of you who have never played a Fire Emblem game that DOESN’T have a manakete in it, first… wow, you must really be new, here.  Second, we’re technically dragons, but with a more human appearance. For the sake of the weapon triangle, our dragonstones all count as ‘red’, but we have four types of basic dragon based off the fantasy elements of earth, fire, wind, and water.  I myself, had I not promoted, would count as an ‘earth manakete’.”

    Showing Niasge from Tawni’s campaign, Cydris from Howe’s campaign, and Sheba from both of the two mentioned campaigns, Adre continued, “Now, you probably noticed in my dragon-form, I’m ‘thicc’, as the kids would call me, compared to all three of these lightweights.  Well, earth manaketes have thicker scales than all of them to the point that we operate like an armored unit would. Sadly, that means armorslayers would work on us atop of the usual manakete weakness of wyrmslayers or dragon-slaying weapons, especially the dragon scroll I heard that is in Xuhua, because we have very low resistance.”

    “Yet I easily defeated that little gnat known as Sizah,” Malsum said while he came in.

    “Who let him in!?” Janiya questioned, but everyone shrugged.

    “I let myself in,” Malsum said.  “But also Gargec let me in.”

    “Hello, humans,” Gargec waved from the huge hole in the wall that He was fixing.

    “Anyway, all manaketes have Wyrmsbane, which makes us able to easily fight off wyverns, dragons, and anything with manakete blood,” Adre smirked.  “After all, back in the ancient times, it took a dragon to kill a dragon. But we Earth Dragons get Orienteer, allowing us to move through forests and over mountains unhindered, but we also get Earth Boost.  If we engage a foe, but have higher HP, our thick scales get slightly thicker during combat.”

    “Which means more defense,” Janiya concluded.  “Okay, what about fire dragons?”

    “We’re the glass cannons of the four tribes,” Gargec answered.  “Fire manaketes hit fast and hard, but these days, we can’t exactly take it.  But we have ‘Burning Hazard’, which allows us to walk through hazardous terrain with no problem.  We also have Bowbreaker, meaning you can’t just shoot me with a bow.”

    “Understood,” Sulaiman said.

    “As for wind manaketes, since I’ve talked to Cydris,” Malsum chuckled, “and he said they’re quick and far more resistant to magic than most, but luck is not usually on their side.  They’re also fliers by default, having the strongest wings of all dragon races. They have the skill Clear Skies, which slightly boosts their movement range as long as they start from a tile with no terrain effects.  Their other unique class skill before we start fusing elements with our promotions is the unnecessarily broken Galeforce, which you know allows them to act again once a turn if they defeat an enemy.”

    “Wait a minute, did you just say ‘you fuse elements’ upon promotion’?” Janiya questioned.  “What the heck, why!?”

    “It’s the best way TO promote, little princess,” Sheba said as she came in.  “Now, we water manaketes are faster than fire ones, but slightly weaker in terms of our high magic, but we’re still just as squishy.  Makes sense, pure-blood water manaketes have soft egg shells.” She then said, “But with Wave Walker, who cares? We swim through the water.  And why shouldn’t we leave it, either, with Ocean’s Wrath? It increases our attack power when we fight from the water.”

    “Alright, fine,” Janiya frowned.  “You guys all have your elements… but why does combining them mean you promote?”

    “Well,” Gargec explained, “by combining our dragonstone’s power with the dragonstone of another tribe, we get access to the Magma Dragon of fire and earth, which I am, the Steam Dragon of fire and water, the Lightning Dragon of fire and wind, the Sand Dragon of wind and earth, the Ice Dragon of wind and water, and the Swamp Dragon of earth and water.  Each of these classes have their own strengths and weaknesses, but all get Dragon Fang, which has a chance of adding an extra 50 percent of our highest offensive stat to our attack… depending on our skill, of course.”

    “Since I’m a sand dragon,” Adre explained, “I use both earth and wind dragonstones, so I’m slightly faster than I was back before I met your moms, kids.  I get access to Sand Surfer, which when I start on a desert tile, I can move TWICE as far as I would on a normal or hindered tile. I’m still armored, though, since I started as an earth manakete and not a wind one, who would be blessed with higher defense.  Still, that plus Sand Breath to reduce the hitting ability of my foes and their nearby allies after battles I start? It’s pretty good.”

    “I myself am a swamp dragon, using both earth and water dragonstones,” Malsum said.  “So when I promoted, I got Wavewalker instead of that Sea Guard that no doubt little Sheba here will try to rub in my face.”

    “Damn right I will,” Sheba smirked.

    “But I also get Poison Breath, which not only allows me safety from the ninja’s Poison Strike, but also gives me immunity to poisonous terrain, including traps that use poison.  It will also drain at the foes’ defense and resistance if it hits them, knock them back a space, and do some small bits of damage over a few turns… but it will never finish a foe off for me.”

    “So, I want to be a steam dragon,” Sheba said, “so I’ll take a fire dragonstone atop of my water one.  Now, Sea Guard increase my evasion and chances of hitting my foes from a water tile, and allows me to heal from water traps.  But Steam Breath can inflict burns, doing some damage over time, push them back a space, and drain their strength and magical power.”

    “So I guess an ice dragon, by that logic,” Saiduq said, looking at the image of an ice dragon, “will use both a wind and water dragonstone, right?”

    “Yes,” Gargec admitted.  “They also automatically become fliers whether they were wind or water manaketes before promoting, so instead of Wave Walking if they were a flier or not, so they gain the skill Frozen Winds, which allows them to not only ignore damage from wind magic that would normally be perfect for taking them down, but actually HEAL from it.”

    “Wait, WHAT!?” Janiya questioned.

    “I know, I was just as surprised as you learning that,” Gargec admitted.  “But Frost Breath is a skill that can really ruin your day. You know those Freeze staves that can immobilize you for a turn, screwing you over if you need to escape from an enemy you KNOW that can kill you or setting you up for multiple enemies to dogpile on you?”

    “Uh-huh?” Sulaiman and Janiya nodded, not liking where this was going.

    “Okay, picture that doing damage because it was launched out of a dragon’s mouth, plus pushing them back a space.”

    “…That’s overkill,” Janiya grimaced.

    “And now, onto Lightning Dragons,” Barack said.  “Girls?”

    “If I’m reading this right, Daddy,” Abia said, looking at the image, “the lightning dragon is a manakete that uses wind and fire dragonstones.”

    Sabeen added, “It makes sense, since lightning is supposed to be really hot and fast, and these guys are the most skilled, most brutal dragons.”

    “Oh, my husband’s a sweetheart and complete pushover outside of our bedroom,” Adre waved off.  “Oh, when there, he’s WILD.” Everyone looked at her.

    “I didn’t need to know that,” Janiya said.

    “Oh, Awdue was insatiable with Her own lust,” Gargec brushed off.

    “But anyway,” Adre said, “lightning dragons are fliers whether or not they were wind dragons BEFORE promotion.  They get the skill Shock Absorber, which I heard you guys covered, already. That’s the one that can allow them to heal from electric-based attacks, even traps.  And then there’s Lightning Breath, which does damage over time and reduces speed and movement.”

    Gargec said, “And now, we get to my class, the Magma Dragon.  The blend of fire and earth dragonstones gave me my power. We’re immune to fire and lava terrain, even traps, entirely thanks to Reborn from Flames, even if we evolved from an earth dragon… which I didn’t.  I was a fire dragon. But magma dragons also get Molten Breath. Now, normally, I used this fire to temper the metal I use for the weapons I create… but I can see the benefit of using it for battle since it turns the area nearby into fire and lava that can damage whoever walks into it, so it’s a great chasebreaker and trap you don’t have to make or buy.”

    “Okay, that’s a lot of information, Lord Gargec,” Sulaiman said.  “And thank you again for creating my sword Taryn and my father’s, Witherbrand.”

    “And my tome, Hova, and my father’s sword, Pillansufa,” Janiya said with a bow.

    “No problem, children,” Gargec said.  “Just help free my daughter, and we’re all even.  Take care, young ones.” He then turned into his dragon form, and then flew out.

    “I better set sail, too,” Sheba said, turning into her own dragon form, and walking out.

    “I’ll see you all in Argelia,” Malsum smirked before leaving as well.

    “Ooh, little kicker, aren’t you?” Adre said, looking at her stomach.  “I’m going to go make a nest out of torn-up bedding. Don’t bother me for like an hour.”  She then walked out.

    “I keep forgetting she’s pregnant,” Janiya said.  “So, all we have left are… well, this is all you, Prince Sulaiman.”

** Genie Types:  Jann,Ifrit, and Nasna **

    “Oh, right, the djinn,” Sulaiman said.  “Well, as you all know, djinn are magical spirits who, thousands of years ago, were so powerful that they were considered gods or at least godlike.  Then, manaketes migrated to Orobia, and then proceeded to humble djinn-kind by showing off their own magic and the ability to bound djinns’ souls to common objects, forcing genies into eternal servitude to whoever holds the bound object.  Add in orichalcum, a magic-resistant metal that can drain us in small quantities and outright poison and kill us in prolonged exposure, and the djinn were forced into a peaceful-yet-reluctant coexistence with manaketes over who ruled the continent.  At least, until Gargec and Awdue met, and then Rerci’s birth, and the Dragon-Genie War. But you all are here for the classes of djinn, not me reminded you of history.”

    Sulaiman then waved in front of the astral plate, and then showed Elahe, Rerci, and Thesin.  “Behold, the three types of djinn you’ll see in Night of Tales:  the jann, the nasna, and the ifrit.”

    “Wait, wait, wait,” Janiya said.  Pointing to Rerci, she said, “Our goddess… is a nasna?”

    “Rerci is often considered one of the first nasna.  At least, she is the first hinn.” Sulaiman then said, “So, let’s start with the jann.”

    “I’ve got this,” Janiya smirked.  She then rang a bell.

    “Yes, Lady Janiya?” Caspar said.

    “Caspar, could you get Elahe here?” Janiya requested.

    “Alright,” Caspar smiled.  He then pulled out two pieces of strawberry cake on plates.  He then handed one to Janiya, who smiled, while a whooshing sound occurred.

    “MINNNNNNEEEEEEEE!” Elahe called, swooping in.  She then stopped to see the others and the cake.  She then used her magic to get Caspar, and then place him and the cake slice he was holding on her carpet.  “Oh, hi, Lady Janiya. What’s up?”

    “We’re talking about jann,” Janiya smirked.  “And I have cake, so this is now a good moment.”

    “How is this a good moment?” Barack questioned.

    “M’lady has a sweet tooth,” Caspar said.  “And Elahe here loves strawberries.”

    “I like to pop them into my mouth, and slowly suck out the juices,” Elahe admitted.  “So, before I do that, I should talk about my people. Jann, as you know, are genies who love to ride our magic carpets, so we’re technically fliers.  We’re the ones who mainly use just plain magic tomes. I myself use lightning magic and light magic, but any jann can use anima magic.”

    “So you have to avoid arrows, since for all of your magic and skill, your luck is lackluster,” Caspar said to her.  “But that’s why you have Lightbringer, which allows you to have stronger power when wielding a light tome. You also have Relief, like pegasus knights, which means if you’re near allies, you will heal.  But of course, I’ll heal you as well.”

    “This is why I love you,” Elahe whispered, taking a bite of her cake.  She then sighed. “Ooh, this is so good….”

    “Really?” Janiya asked.  She then took a bite as well.  “Aah….”

    “Well, that happened,” Sulaiman observed from the two.  “So, about that last skill before they promote?”

    Caspar continued, “Oh yes, ‘Djinn Blood’ makes them resist almost all forms of poison, including ‘Poison Strike’, save for poison traps built with orichalcum or ironleaf, a ninja using Orichalcum Daggers, and a swamp dragon’s Poison Breath… which probably best explains why earth dragons were so valued during the Dragon-Djinn War and why Malsum defeated Sizah.  Of course, it pales in comparison to the common advanced djinn ability, ‘Djinn Spirit’ that allows them to deal extra magic damage if their skill is high enough. It’s the counter to Dragon Fang.”

    “Wow, how nice,” Sulaiman said with a frown.

    “Oh, right,” Caspar recalled.  “You… have trouble with your magic, don’t you?”

    “Yes,” Sulaiman admitted.  “I’m able to summon weapons and use the astral plate, but not a whole let else.”

    “Oh,” Janiya gasped.  “…Sulaiman, do you want some cake?”

    “Cake would be appreciated,” Sulaiman admitted.  Caspar pulled out a third slice.

    “I am prepared,” Caspar said.

    “Thank you.”

    “Well, sorry if this topic makes you feel uncomfortable, Prince Sulaiman,” Elahe said.  “But I do have a couple promotions, the silat and the marid. The silat, like my late mentor, Elder Muazi, is a lance-wielder.  He was fast on his carpet, and he had the power Cursebreaker, which reduced the power and evasion of dark tome users. He also had the ability Rend Heaven, which added his foe’s strength or magic to his own attack power based on his own skill.  How Sizah managed to beat him is beyond me….”

    “She probably had help,” Caspar assured her.  “Now, we should talk about the marid.”

    “Oh, they’re staff-users with much more magic,” Elahe smiled.  “They have Healtouch, which grants them a boost with healing power.  They also have Blessed Touch, a new ability that makes ALL of their magic effective against ghouls and other dark foes.”

    “And now, for the nasna,” Saiduq said.  “These are genies who, years after the dismissal of the old taboo of ‘don’t mingle with non-genies’, decided to study and even embrace beast kind.  Some even are part beast.” He showed the nasna boss from Janiya’s previous chapter, Jezu, turning into a jackal. “Now, a nasna can only choose one beaststone to use, but they also have tomes.  Instead of Beastbane, they still have Djinn Pocket. And their promotion still has Djinn Spirit instead of Grisly Wound.”

    “So they’re not perfect beasts,” Abia admitted.  “But I can’t help but notice how close they are… depending on what beaststone they pick up, they share that beast’s skills?”

    “Yes,” Barack admitted.  “It’s not perfect, but it’s them.  And that’s before we even mention ‘hinn’.  A hinn is an evolved nasna who can now access either one wingstone or one dragonstone.  So far, with the exception of Rerci and maybe some genies who have forgiven the ancient grudge, the only hinn I’ve seen usually go for the wingstone, and take their abilities as well.  But then there’s the dao.”

    “The… dao?” Janiya asked.

    “The dao is a special type of nasna that embraces the ways of the earth,” Barack explained.  “Some say that Lady Awdue was a dao who loved agriculture. But Harvester is a great skill for them since it allows them to heal themselves on mountains, in forests, in plains, and even in the wastes.  But the skill Natural Havoc increases their power on these places and odds they’ll score a critical hit when initiating battle from these places.”

    “And now, we get to the ifrit,” Sulaiman said.

    ‘I was wondering when we’d address the elephant in the room,’ Dark Sulaiman said as he appeared.  ‘The ifrit used to be a genie of chaos and fire.  Nowadays, they just try to live with whispers of darkness in their ears, and use both the sword and the tome.  Well, most do, save for us. We’re often considered one of, if not THE darkest form of genie, since it’s the only type that can eventually access dark magic.  Well, only as a shaitan, since I’m sure Mother was a ventala.’

    “Um, Sulaiman,” Janiya asked, “aren’t you going to explain the ifrit?”

    “Oh, right, you can’t hear my dark side,” Sulaiman said.  “Basically, ifrits are sword-wielders and magic users on foot.  We’re incredibly powerful with magic and most are lucky… save for myself.  But our biggest flaw is that we’re ironically the worst genie race at TAKING magic damage.  One ifrit ability I’ve seen my mother do was Heartseeker, which as we know reduces enemies’ chances of avoiding her spells, her sword-swinging, or her axe-swinging if they were next to her.  And that’s not even bringing in Magic Leech.”

    “Magic… Leech?” Janiya asked.

    “Oh, that’s easy, milady,” Elahe answered.  “It means that if you fight an ifrit with a tome that’s not Hova, it drains the number of uses of your tome.  But it’s a two-way street, since ifrits can pour more power into their spells at the cost of double use of their tome or heal more at the cost of twice the healer’s staff.  Now, onto their promotions, the shaitan and the ventala. It’s clear Sizah is a shaitan, a djinn capable of using dark magic and Vengeance skill, which allows her to add half of whatever damage she had taken into her magical or physical might.  No wonder why she was the final boss of Night of Hearts.”

    “No wonder why Mother had such problems with her,” Sulaiman and Janiya both groaned.

    “Add in Allure which could allow her to temporarily turn allies into enemies,” Elahe said, “and we have our work cut out for us….”

    “Oh, the author’s not going to exploit THAT ability for Night of Tales’ campaigns,” Sulaiman assured her.  “Now, onto Mother… a ventala. She wielded an axe as her new weapon.  She hated the very idea of dark magic, and gladly took the strength boost over the magic boost.  She got Night Sky, which gave her an extra 50 percent increase to the damage she dealt. She also had the ability Light Snuffer, which decreases the hitting and evading abilities of those who use light magic.”

    “The irony that the type of djinn who you’d think WOULDN’T be effective against light magic users, but it happened,” Elahe shrugged.

    “And with that,” Sulaiman smirked, “we’re finally finished.  51 pages of classes.”

    “Really?” Tawni asked, popping up from behind him.  “You’re all done?”

    “Miss Tawni?” Sulaiman asked.  “How long have you been here?”

    “Long enough,” Tawni smiled.  “Well, that’s all the classes and skills in Night of Tales.  Boy, that was a whole bunch.  If you have any more questions, suggestions, comments, or concerns, you know the drill.”  She then threw down her smoke bomb, vanishing the whole group off the stage.

    Howe then walked in.  “Um, is NOW a good time to have told everyone that they weren’t really finished?”

    Tawni and the other two lords appeared from another smoke bomb, all three having raised eyebrows.  “What are you talking about, Captain?” Janiya questioned. Howe handed her a letter. “...ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”

    “We missed someone?” Sulaiman asked.

    “Yeah, US!” Janiya replied.  “Someone wants all of OUR skills!”

    “Okay, calm down,” Sulaiman said.  “We’ll take a break, now, and then come back, grit our teeth, plant our feet, and then go through our base classes.”

    “Not the advanced classes?” Tawni questioned.

    “No, because those would be spoilers.”

    “We can tell what they will be called, right?” Howe asked.

    “I guess,” Sulaiman replied.  “I mean, of all characters, we’re the only four who get an extra promotion from what would be considered Great Lords.”

    “Ugh, Miss Tawni, just smoke bomb us out of here!” Janiya said.  “I need to go relax with a bath!”

    “Alright,” Tawni said.  With one final smoke bomb, the group disappeared.


	9. Classes and Skills, Part 4:  The "Lords" Classes and Skills

## “Classes and Skills, Part 4:  The “Lords” Base Classes”

    Janiya, Sulaiman, and Howe all casually walked onto the screen, Janiya sipping a cup of tea, Sulaiman with his hands behind his back, and Howe cracking his neck. Tawni then appeared, a serious look on her face. She then snapped, and Jamal and Kareem rode out, a banner hanging between them. The two then held it out to read: "In Memorium of Stan Lee, 1922-2018", before hanging it up with the pegasus knight trio's help.

    "This one's for you, Stan," Tawni smiled, although crying. "Our author grew up on your work." Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen. You wanted this? You got it. Part 4 of what should have been a three-part adventure into the classes of Orobia. Let's get this party started."

    “What party?” Howe questioned.  “We’re doing a lore piece and celebrating the life of one of the creators of Marvel Comics alongside Jack Kirby..”

    “She means that we’re getting to the finale of the classes and skills thing, not a literal party,” Sulaiman said.

    “Oh, no, I know what I said,” Tawni said.  She then snapped her fingers, and her clan popped out of various hiding spots of the stage, where they immediately began playing music and having a party.  "{We'll mourn properly, later, but for now, we're having a party}."

    “So that’s why you didn’t join us on stage,” Janiya realized.

    "Well, she did ask us to come," a man wearing sunglasses said, followed by others. "You guys do your lore thing, we'll save you some drinks and cake."

    As they walked in, Janiya asked, "Did you get the Avengers?"

    "Only for this chapter, and they're owned by Marvel," Tawni said.

    Janiya shrugged.  “Okay, so… who goes first?”

    “I’m going to guess since I’m always at the bottom of the popularity polls, I should go first,” Sulaiman shrugged.

** Sulaiman—Poswali Prince **

    “So,” Sulaiman said, “as you all have probably noticed, I’m the only lord here who is part-genie and as such NOT fully human.  That means that despite the fact that I’m a Poswali Prince, I’m still suspect to orichalcum-based weaponry. Also, despite being a quarter genie, I can’t use magic tomes in battle.  At least, until I can get around my mental block. But I CAN use and specialize in bows, similar to your standard archer. I also use swords, too, like Taryn and Orenmir… even though THAT sword really belongs to Janiya.”

    “Wait, what?” Janiya asked.

    “Poswali wedding traditions of nobles up to and including royalty typically have the male in the relationship present the family of the woman of whom he seeks her hand in marriage with a sword with the implication that should he dishonor his betrothed in any way, shape, or form, he will be killed by the aforementioned sword,” Sulaiman explained.

    “...You’re giving me a sword that, should I ever catch you breaking Yasmin’s heart, I’m entitled to murder you with?” Janiya summed up.

    “Yes.”

    “Okay, Poswali wedding traditions are unsurprisingly dark, since you’re the Nohr of the Orobian continents without the whole eternal darkness thing,” Howe said, “let’s move onto skills!  What do you have?”

    “Well,” Sulaiman said, “by default, I have Nobility, which grants me a boost in experience gaining, and Determination, a skill that as I have less HP, I sort of… ignore the weapon triangle, including with bad matchups otherwise.  I also have Wrath, which increases my critical chance when I am closer to death’s door. And that’s not even mentioning my other skill… ‘Ifrit Soul’.”

    “What was Ifrit Soul?” Tawni questioned.  She then saw the dark Sulaiman show up. “Oh, look, Dark Sulaiman!”

    “Where is this dark soul that Yasmin, Lamia, and you keep seeing?” Janiya questioned, looking around.

    ** _‘They can’t really see or hear me,’_**  the prince’s dark half explained.   ** _‘But with Ifrit Soul, say my good half here defeats an enemy in a battle he started, we get a second move… where I take charge, and unleash an attack that does fire damage.’_**

    “So a lord’s Galeforce, but guaranteed fire damage?” Tawni asked.  “Okay, seriously, I know we’re NOT doing a second generation, but that’s one of the best abilities!”

     ** _‘And that’s before we become a Poswali Noble, ** _magic unblocked while turned into a cavalry unit,'_**  Dark Sulaiman replied.  ** _"Regular anima tomes, though."_**_**

    “Wait, no dark magic?” Tawni questioned.

    ** _‘To hell with dark magic, it’s that kind of magic plus light magic that made binding genies a common practice.’_**

    “Okay, fine,” Tawni said.  “So, what about stats?”

     ** _‘My ‘light half’ here is great at defending and is quite skilled enough to avoid multiple attempts on our lives, and he has, all things considered, average resistance for an ifrit, which are supposedly not as able to resist magic.  We also have a slightly above average strength build. But it comes at the cost of low speed and incredibly poor luck. Which is totally fine, and our lot in life.’_**

    “Thanks for that,” Tawni smiled.

    “Thanks for what?” Howe questioned.  “We didn’t hear a damn thing.”

    “But the audience did,” Sulaiman replied.  “Now, it’s your turn, Captain.”

    “Wait, what?” Howe asked.

** Howe—Pirate **

    “Well,” Howe said, surprised to be put on the spot.  “I am a pirate, a class I thought we covered earlier.  Physically tough, high HP, and I have higher physical defense than most pirates, but rather poor resistance and subpar speed.  But for some reason, I have a slightly below average magic growth….”

    “That’s because the weapon you will get and the one Miss Tawni will get have magic damage OPTIONS,” Sulaiman answered.  “But yours is really the better of physical options.”

    “Yes!” Tawni muttered.

    “Okay, that explains that,” Howe said.  “So, as you all saw in my chapters, I have Wave Walker, allowing me to make aquatic rescue missions and attacks from the water.  I also have Shelter, which allows me to rescue people and pair them up with me, and I have Gamble to increase my critical chances, but lowers my hitting chances.  But once I control the  _Sabine,_  I have Helmsman, which allows me to, on maps with water, order strikes from cannons.  Including direct-to-land strikes, from the  _Sabine_  to level up her power.”

    “Wait, your ship?” Janiya questioned.  “It counts as a unit?”

    “Yes.”

    “...Before we cover your ship because it probably doesn’t fit into any other category,” the princess said, “what is your promotion since you’re not going to be an ordinary pirate?”

    “Master Chief Petty Officer, or Master Chief, for short,” Howe answered.  
  
    "Wait, Master Chief!?  Do you want us to be sued!?"  
  
    "It's a real navy military rank that has nothing to do with the first-person science fiction shooter series known as  _Halo,"_  Howe defended himself.  “For me, it's an armored unit that has, atop of my axe, a sword."

    “Okay, I’m not as worried, anymore."

** The  _Sabine_ —Cutter **

    “Ah, my pride and joy,” Howe said, looking at his ship on the astral plate.  “I named her after my mother.” He then said, “The Sabine is fast, skilled, and able to light up and take down most ships her size, and even do a great deal of damage to slightly bigger ships if need be, depending on how you equip her.”

    “How you equip her?” Sulaiman asked.

    “Yeah, there are cannons you can buy and sell, as well as bombs, special cannons, and types of repair kits.  Only in port towns, though, since why would there be anywhere else that would have ships and ship parts?”

    “That is a good point,” the prince admitted.  “But your ship is rather small, I’d bet she could easily be destroyed if you’re not careful.”

    “Yes, she can’t take a whole lot of a beating as she currently is,” Howe confessed.  “I need to better upgrade her ship armor if she’s going to survive to promotion.”

    “Armor for ships?  Cannons? Experience?  Promoting a non-sentient vessel?” Janiya questioned.  “Okay, seriously, what is this game mechanic?”

    “A new one exclusive to me to worry about,” Howe answered.  “Anyway, the first round of potential promotions for my sweetheart, here, are the brig and the schooner.  The brig isn’t a prison, but a type of warship that is designed to endure a beating, and is really effective at close range.  It’s biggest flaw is that it’s slow, but that’s where it's chain shot comes in. The chain shot can take out enemies’ sails, limiting their movement and allowing the brig to either close the gap or escape.  However, closing the gap is probably the better option, since the hull ram can get some extra damage in before engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand.”

    “...You’re a maniac,” Janiya said.

    “Perhaps I should make my Sabine be rebuilt into a schooner, then,” Howe mused.  “The schooner is definitely the faster option, and it’s harder for enemies to hit… but it can endure a few more hits than a cutter can, but less than a brig.  But the selling point of a schooner is that it specializes in traps.”

    “Which you, as someone with a bounty hunter party member designed to MAKE traps just screams ‘really convenient’,” Sulaiman pointed out.

    “Well, mines are fun to do some damage to your enemies to stop them from chasing you, and some traps can even cause damage to the rudder and allow you to turn them into a sitting duck,” Howe smirked.  “And that’s before we talk the galleon and man-of-war.”

    “Sorry, Captain,” Tawni interjected, “but we’re out of time for your ship for right now.”

    “Alright, fine,” Howe said.  “Get to your broken self.”

    “Define how broken Miss Tawni is?” Sulaiman asked.

** Tawni—Gypsy **

    “So, I’m a Romani, or a ‘gypsy’,” Tawni innocently smiled.  “I wield daggers, and I’m kind of a thief lord, who is quick, lucky, and more resistant to magic than I am strong and physically durable.  Oh, and I’m kind of skilled. I’m also the series tradition, in a way.”

    “Series tradition?” Howe asked.

    “Oh, that’s easy,” Janiya said.  “Most Fire Emblem protagonists, ever since Marth, have some shade of blue hair.  And Tawni, who was supposed to be the Scheherazade expy of this story in original drafts and Scheherazade is TECHNICALLY the main protagonist of The Arabian Nights, got the honor of the blue hair.”  Looking at Tawni’s, she said, “And even though there’s some black mixed in, it’s not hard to see the blue.”

    “So, technically,” Sulaiman continued, “Miss Tawni here is SUPPOSED to be the main protagonist, but Princess Janiya here is pretty much the Hector of this story.”  Janiya raised an eyebrow. “As in you’re the incredibly popular lord for being a powerful badass.”

    “Thank you,” Janiya said.  “So, Tawni, what skills do you have?”

    “Pickpocket, Demoiselle, Smoke Bomb, and Astral Thief.”

    “...What?”

    “Pickpocket is basically Locktouch, but improved,” Tawni smiled.  “I can steal from enemies any and all items that they may have without having to defeat them… including whatever they’re equipped with.  Unfortunately, I have to have an open slot in order to do it… thank goodness I have access to the convoy, because it would be impossible to keep up with it at times.”

    “Okay, and Smoke Bomb, we said that means that enemies have a lower chance of hitting you if THEY engage the fight,” Janiya recalled, “but… Demoiselle?  Really? Boosting your nearby male allies’ avoiding and reducing damage?”

    “Until Arya joined us, Father was the ONLY healer of the combat party,” Tawni replied.  “And also, Demoiselle kind of helps with my job as a storyteller and performer.”

    “Okay, fine,” Janiya said.

    “I’m more concerned about the ‘Astral Thief’ power,” Sulaiman said.

    “Oh, that,” Tawni said.  She then knelt down, and concentrated, and her gem began shining.  She then projected her spirit, and floated around. ‘Yeah, I can do this.  Now, the biggest weakness of this power is that I leave my mortal form in a state that I’m incredibly vulnerable, so I kind of need to have my physical body either looked after or put in a spot that it won’t get attacked.  But in this form? I’m your answer against hard magic-using targets, including manaketes and genies.’

    ‘Interesting,’ Dark Sulaiman smirked.  ‘And how are you the answer, pray tell?’

    ‘I stole some of your magic while you were distracted,’ Tawni answered, holding up a dark, fiery orb.  Dark Sulaiman blinked. ‘Now, want to watch me throw this at an enemy?’

    “Prince Sulaiman Nejem!” a Hosein soldier called.  “We will destroy you!” The real Sulaiman drew his sword.

    ‘Ooh, a volunteer,’ Tawni smirked.  She then threw the ball of fire at the soldier, who then rolled around screaming to deal with the fact that he was now on fire.

    ‘You’re good… but I still don’t trust you,’ Dark Sulaiman replied.  He then faded while Tawni returned to her body.

    “You can use me to scout in that form, since, I’m well… invisible,” Tawni said.  “So yeah, a lord not really good for the front lines, but good for an indirect approach and taking out the magic units that would give other units a rough time.  And that’s before, well… we’re pretty much preparing me for the Rom Baro role. I’ll have access to the sword and a staff”

    “So a trickster, BUT with some differences?” Sulaiman concluded.

    “Yep,” Tawni smiled.  “And now, for Lady Janiya.  We saved the favored girl for last.”

** Janiya—Cruibian Princess **

    “Wow,” Janiya said, “I didn’t think we’d actually have to talk about my role, now.”  Janiya pulled out Hova, and explained, “I’m kind of the best magic user of the four of us.  I’m not really good at dodging, but I’m quick and I like to think that I’m a bit of a… dancer on the battlefield.”

    “You and I need to collab like YESTERDAY,” Tawni said.

    “Well, I’m faster in swordplay and more accurate than Sulaiman,” Janiya continued, “and I also can use tomes.  I’m kind of like the Tactician from Awakening in terms of weaponry and status as an infantry.  But I have different skills. Like Sulaiman, I have Nobility, which increases my experience earning.  I also have Frontlines, which allows me to do slightly more damage if I’m the leader of a paired group.  I also have Wildwind, which boosts my power when I’m carrying a weapon with wind elements…. like Hova. But the final skill of mine?  Well… it’s kind of weird and specific.”

    “Weird and specific how?” Howe questioned.

    “Yasmin?” Janiya asked.

    “Hi, sis!” Yasmin smiled as she came in.  “Hi, Sulaiman!”

    “Hello, Yasmin,” Sulaiman smiled back.  “So, not that I have any objections to seeing your sister, Princess Janiya, but why did you ask her to be here?”

    “Sisterhood,” Janiya answered.  “I need her nearby for it to work, but… Captain Howe, if you would hit me as hard as you can?”

    “As much as I want payback for the beating towards the end of our history run,” Howe said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

    “Trust me, you won’t,” Yasmin said, surprisingly serious.  Howe shrugged, and clenched his axe. He then swung, but Yasmin and Janiya’s eyes both shined, and Janiya moved out of the way mere moments before Howe’s attack could connect, and countered with a blast from Hova, sending Howe tumbling away.

    “What was that?” Tawni asked.

    “Oh, when Yasmin’s close by, thanks to her Fire Emblem fragment, I’m able to see the most likely moves of each of the enemies, including who they’d most likely go for and with what weapon they’d most likely use, what will be the most likely outcome of the battle, and moves that could probably kill me,” Janiya explained.  “That way, I can adjust my strategy a LOT better.  Also, I get a higher dodge rate when my sister or my cousins are adjacent to me."

    “So your sisterly love allows you all to pull a Monado from  _Xenoblade Chronicles?”_ Sulaiman questioned.

    “See, he gets it!” Yasmin said.  “And that’s before you promote to Cruibian Commander, my little sister!”

    “What does she get with Cruibian Commander?” Tawni asked.

    “Light magic!” Yasmin concluded.

    “And with that, we’re done,” Janiya said.  “At least until we’re ready to talk about second-tier classes for us, then third tier.  Please be patient!”

    “So,” Sulaiman said, “what should we do about Captain Howe?”

    “I’ll be fine!” Howe groaned.

    “See, he’s fine, this paled in comparison to the beating I gave him when I found out HE was responsible for the conquering of Nourdari and possibly other major defeats in the north.”

    “Well, okay,” Tawni said.  “If you have a question, comment, or concern about Orobia, or have a suggestion of a topic we should cover next, please let us know.  But for now, there’s a chocolate fountain and Mr. Stark made milkshakes!”

    “Yes!” Janiya and Yasmin cheered, running off with Tawni.  Sulaiman chuckled, and went off to go pick up Howe.

* * *

_**"Face front, true believers!"** _

**Stan Lee**

**December 28, 1922**

**November 12, 2018**


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